


The Love of a Winchester

by Niko_akame



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bad ass women, Dean has feelings, Demons, F/M, Hunters & Hunting, Kelpies, Romance, Sexy Times, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-07-12 10:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 45,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15993254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niko_akame/pseuds/Niko_akame
Summary: Kim and Nik meet the Winchesters during the most difficult time of their lives. Can they fight the evil coming for them? Do they dare use the help the Winchesters offer? What happens when emotions run high and secrets are are revealed? Will the horse ranch owner ever get the girl?????





	1. Chapter 1

I sat in plaid pajamas, legs crossed over each other as I stared in focus at the laptop in front of me. My sister, Kim, was out getting dinner and I was trying to find something special to do for her birthday in a few weeks. She would be 25, and I wanted to do something fun, since we didn’t do birthdays often. Not that there were many opportunities to do so these days. While Kim was not my biological sister, we’d grown up together in the orphanage. She’d been brought in as a baby right before my sixth birthday and it was an instant friendship. She and I were adopted together at the ages of eleven and five. Our parents noticed our bond and didn’t want to break it up.  
The next ten years had been amazing. Kim and I flourished in school and extra curricular activities, both excelling in different martial arts and weapons training. Mom was a Navy veteran and took personal defense very seriously. I was just starting my second year of college, something I never thought would be possible. Kim was doing amazing in school, well on her way to valedictorian if she kept it up. Then the phone call came. Kim was hysterical. “A tragic event had occurred,” the cop said. I drove faster than ever before that night. I got there as the emergency responders dragged my parent’s bodies out of the house on gurneys.  
Kim cried near the front door as a man dressed in a suit asked her questions. I had immediately interrupted him. He was from the FBI he’d said, just needed to know if we’d noticed anything strange. His questions struck me as unusual. I’d taken Kim back to the dorm with me that night. Thankfully I’d chosen a college close to home. The next day, I’d gone to the hospital to finalize everything. That same man from the night before was there but the suit was gone. There was a younger man with him. His piercing green eyes caught my attention before he climbed into a older Chevy Impala and took off. The older man walked into the hospital. It’d taken some digging and a lot of yelling but eventually I’d gotten the man to tell me what was going on. His name was John Winchester and my parents had been killed by vampires. He and his son tracked the vampires the night before, but the nest was empty. The hospital was a dead end. No one had stolen any blood bags recently. I debated on telling Kim, but in the end there was no choice. If I were going to get revenge then she deserved to get it too.  
John helped us a lot, until a few years later when he’d died protecting his sons. I’d never met the other Winchesters but they were pretty famous in our line of work. Now here we were. Almost another decade and many kills later. We’d discovered many things about ourselves. Kim’s biological family was a long line of witches and warlocks from Puerto Rico. She’d learned a lot about her history, and her abilities since. My biological parents were still a mystery. I sighed as I looked at the different suggestions from the internet. What did normal people do for their birthdays? The door to the hotel room opened and I slammed the laptop closed as Kim entered in.  
“What were you looking at, Nicole?” she asked suspiciously as she noticed my strange reaction.  
“I was looking for a case,” I shrugged it off and stood to grab the bags from her. She helped me unload the food as I told her about the weird things I’d seen on the web.  
“Doesn’t sound like anything menacing,” Kim smiled, “Maybe we’ll get a break for once!”  
“Yeah about that, I was thinking we could do something for your birthday in a couple of weeks,” I said carefully. Best to get it straight from the source.  
“What? We haven’t celebrated birthdays in years,” Kim looked at me suspiciously.  
“I know, but things have been pretty quiet these last few weeks. Only one ghost and that pesky skin walker situation. It’d be nice to do something normal for once.”  
Kim laughed, “I’m a witch, Nik. I don’t think normal fits our vibe.” I nodded, taking a bite of my cheesecake and savoring it. I’d find something to do but it had to be something good. My phone staring vibrating next the laptop where I left it. I got up and answered it quickly.  
“Hey Garth what’s up?”  
“Are you sitting down?” his southern accent came loud and clear across the phone. I put the phone on speaker and sat back down at the table.  
“What kind of question is that?” I asked suspiciously as Kim raised a brow in curiosity.  
“We found ‘em, Nik. We found the vamps that killed your parents,” I almost dropped the phone as Kim gasped, but Garth continued, “More importantly, we found who they were working for.”  
“What do you mean who they were working for?” Kim almost shouted as she grabbed my phone. I let her take it, my mind swirling.  
“It wasn’t random. I never thought it was, what vamp attacks someone in their own home? They were hired, someone was looking for you and your sister. We just don’t know why,” Garth said.  
“Who was it?” I ask, hoping my voice sounded as even as I tried to make it.  
“Somebody named Stone. Pretty generic, but it’s all we could get. Sound familiar?”  
Kim and I shook our heads before she answered for both of us, “No, nothing like that.”  
“Where are they, Garth? Where are the vamps?” Kim asked, her voice quiet.  
“Atlanta,” he answered quickly.  
“One thing at a time,” Kim said, looking to me. I shook my head in agreement, “We take out the vamps, get more information from them. Just like any other case. Text me the address.”  
“It’s a large nest, guys. You may need help,” Garth suggested as the address came through on my phone.  
“We’ve never needed help before. But thanks for the tip Garth,” I took the phone and hung up before he could reply. I looked to Kim, silent for a moment.  
“Atlanta?” she asked, clenching her fists.  
“Atlanta.” I agreed, getting up to pack my bag. 

~

“Oh that’s not good,” Garth looked at the phone in his hand after the line went dead.  
“What’s wrong, hon?” his wife Bess asked as he dialed another number.  
“Hopefully nothing,” Garth listened to the rings on the other end, releasing a sigh of relief as he heard the gruff voice on the other end.  
“What’s up, Garth?” Dean asked.  
“I need a favor,” Garth started. He filled Dean in and asked for his help. He listened as Dean explained it to Sam.  
“Alright, we’re in Tennessee now on a poltergeist. We’ll head down and keep them from getting themselves killed,” Dean agreed.  
“You’ve saved my bacon again, Dean. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to those girls because of me,” Garth said his goodbyes and hung up the phone.


	2. Meeting the Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day...

Kim handed me an amulet she’d placed a protection spell on. Our short swords were strapped to our backs, our guns loaded and on our hips. I looked at her and then at myself in the motel mirror. The thought struck me that I could have let her stay in school. We could have forgotten all of this and been normal. Kim noticed me looking as she put a cap on over her platinum blond hair.  
“Do you ever regret what we did? Leaving school and becoming what we are today?” I asked her quietly. I’d never asked that question in the last ten years. I didn’t think I needed to. Garth finding the vamps had made questions run through my mind.  
“I don’t. Mom and Dad, they knew we were meant for something more than ordinary lives. They pushed us because they knew deep down that we’d be saving people one day. I just don’t think they understood how,” she smiled at me and then tucked a knife in her boot.  
“I’m glad you’re with me. I’d probably have gone crazy, or be dead by now,” I laughed and handed her the keys to our Jeep Wrangler, “Four hours until sundown, place is twenty minutes away. We need to get going.” We left the motel room and closed the door. Kim tossed her bag in the back and I went to do the same but something caught my attention. The black impala from ten years ago was in the parking lot. The Winchesters were here.  
“Hey,” Kim snapped her fingers at me and took my bag. She put it in with hers and looked at me, “What’s up?”  
“Garth called the Winchesters,” I told her, nodding my head to the car.  
“What? I thought they were stopping another apocalypse or something?” Kim snorted.  
“Actually that was last year,” an amused voice said from the other side of the jeep. An extremely tall man came around the front of the car and gave a friendly smile, “I’m Sam.”  
“Hi,” Kim’s voice had a funny sound to it, and I looked at her quickly. Obviously our lives hadn’t allowed much time for dating, so I’d never seen Kim show interest in a man. Now she looked positively smitten. This was not going to end well.  
“Sammy! We have to find the girls Garth was talking about.” A gravelly voice came from one of the motel rooms, and out he walked. He looked straight at me. I’d recognize those green eyes anywhere, they’d been a constant part of my dreams for the past ten years.  
“This is my brother Dean,” Sam motioned, “You must be Kim and Nicole?”  
“Nik, please,” I said absently, “Garth called you?”  
“Said you had a vamp problem. Sam and I know a lot about revenge. He thought we could help,” Dean answered, still looking at me.  
“Well that’s very chivalrous of you boys, but we’ve done pretty well on our own so far,” I nodded to them both and moved to get into the jeep.  
“Garth said the nest was very large. I know the vamps aren’t normally very active during the day, but it couldn’t hurt to have us along,” Sam said, sounding concerned.  
“I think he has a point,” Kim muttered, looking over at me.  
“Et tu?” I mumbled to my sister, but I knew she was right. The thought of hunting with someone else made me uneasy though. No one else knew about Kim’s abilities. Most hunters would shoot on sight if they’d known. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her but her magic had saved us from a hairy situation more than once. I hoped she didn’t have to use it this time.  
“Fine,” I tell them, climbing into the passenger side of the jeep, “You can help us. We can use the extra hands this time.”  
“We’ll follow you,” Sam got into the passenger seat of the Impala and Dean fired it up.  
Kim turned the key on the Jeep, “I’d heard stories but no one ever says how good looking they are! His hair was magnificent.”  
“You can’t be serious right now,” I stared at her in disbelief.  
“I saw the way you looked at Dean. Neither of us are dead, Nik. It’s okay to look,” Kim smiled at me, but I saw the strain behind it. She was trying to lighten the situation and take our minds off of what we were about to do. After ten years, we were about to get real answers in the death of our parents. That was a heavy feeling in my chest.  
“Kim, you know you can’t use magic in front of them. They’ll kill you just as quick as they will the vamps,” I said quietly.  
“I’ll be careful,” she nodded. Her calm didn’t ease my worry about it, but we didn’t have time to argue. We parked as far away as we dared and the impala cruised up behind us. The boys got out and opened the trunk. After a few seconds they were walking up to the jeep, machetes in hand.  
“What’s the plan?” Dean asked.  
“Kill them all, with exception of the leader. He might have information we need,” I answer, pulling my sword out and testing the edge.  
“That is a nice piece of hardware you have,” Dean admired. I smiled, “Thanks, we had them custom made. Fit especially to our designs.”  
“We scouted the area this morning,” Sam offered, “The house was quiet. No movement. Should be quick and easy with all of us here.”  
“It never goes that way,” Kim sighed.  
“No time like the present,” Dean said clearing his throat. The four of us made our way to the house. We tried to make sure there were no surprises.  
“There’s a back door,” Kim whispered to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder and shared the vision she had conjured. I nodded quietly to her and went to move my direction, but she surprised me by tapping Sam on the arm. I blinked as I watched my sister trade me for the tall Winchester. Before I knew what was happening Dean and I stood alone at the front entrance of the house. He nodded to the door and held up his machete. I twisted the doorknob but was instantly suspicious as it turned with no issues.  
“Door’s open,” I muttered to him. His grim expression mirrored my thoughts. We cleared the front room quickly. I looked down the hallway to my left to see Sam and Kim disappear around a corner. That meant the kitchen was clear too. I looked over to Dean and he pointed up the stairs. I followed him up one stair at a time but my gut feeling got worse as we went. Something was not right with this. Dean pushed open one of the doors in the hall upstairs but before I could follow the necklace yanked to the left. I moved just it time to avoid a knife to my neck. The blade still grazed my skin, and cut the leather band the necklace hung from. I heard it clatter to the ground as the vamp took another swipe at me with his knife. I ducked and shoved my sword into his stomach. He gurgled as I yanked the sword out and took his head. A head rolled out of the room Dean had gone in and he walked out.  
“You good?” I asked as I put my hand to my neck.  
“Yeah, but you’re hurt,” he walked over and took my chin in his hand. He lifted my head to see the damage.  
“It’s fine. Probably looks worse than it feels. Do you see my necklace? It was a gift from my sister,” I looked down but suddenly Dean grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. I was about to complain when I felt his right arm move and heard a thud. I turned my head and saw another dead vampire behind me.  
“Thanks,” I told him stepping away awkwardly. He smelled like I’d pretty much imagined. The smell of gun powder and testosterone. Hard to describe but lovely to inhale.  
“No problem,” he answered, nodding. We turned to check the rest of the rooms but stopped when we heard Kim scream and Sam call Dean’s name. We flew down the stairs and headed in the direction I’d last seen them go. We came upon a door that lead down a set of stairs. The scene below chilled me to my bones. There had to be at least twenty vamps in that basement. Four lay dead but Kim was on her knees and Sam stood over her protectively.  
“Kim?” I asked as I looked around the room. Why weren’t the vamps attacking?  
“I’m fine. ‘Tis a flesh wound,” she joked, but I could hear the pain in her voice. She pointed a shaking blood covered finger at a vamp right across from her. “It’s him,” she said, “He’s the one that knows what we need.”  
“And I will gladly tell you! It’s not like you’ll be leaving here alive. Stone is coming for you, he’ll be here soon. Thank you for bringing the Winchesters, though. They killed my brother,” his smile was evil as he looked from Sam to Dean.  
“Yeah, well, dickbag probably deserved it,” Dean returned unapologetically.  
I tried not to smile, I really did, but it happened anyway. The lead vamp growled as he rose from his chair, “Take the girls, kill the Winchesters.”  
As a body they moved and Sam killed the first one to reach them. Dean and I jumped into the fight. We took down a few each but there were a lot of them. We all suffered more injuries as we fought for our lives. I was thrown into the wall but I got back up, trying to fight my way back to my sister. As I got to the middle of the room I saw she had drawn some symbols on the ground in blood.  
“Kim, don’t!” I shouted, taking the head off a vamp about to reach her.  
“We don’t have a choice!” she replied before closing her eyes and beginning to chant. The vamps were all thrown against the wall and Kim jerked her chin towards the leader, “Ask him now, I can’t hold them all long with this much blood loss.”  
I huffed but did as she said. I grabbed the leader by his shirt and put my sword to his neck, “Who the hell is this Stone and what the shit does he want with us?”  
“Language,” Kimberly muttered from behind me and I ignored her, like usual.  
“Do you have any idea what you are? What the two of you could become? I see in your face that you're confused. It matters not. Stone will show you,” he began laughing and suddenly I heard a thud. I turned to see Dean over another dead vamp. They were starting to fight against Kim’s bonds. I cursed under my breath and stepped back to swing my sword. One hit and the leader was gone. We took out the remaining vamps quickly and Kim sagged with relief. I went to help her up but Sam motioned me away, “I got her.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs. Dean looked at me and I had a moment of doubt.  
“What do we do now?” I asked as I looked around at the carnage.  
“We regroup. We go to our bunker and we research. We find out who the hell this Stone guy is and what he wants with you,” Dean answered as he cleaned his machete, “But right now we need to leave if he’s on his way here. We don’t know what he is or what he’s capable of.”  
“You’re willing to do that? Even after…” I hesitated, maybe he didn’t realize what Kim was.  
“After noticing your sister is a witch? Well… she did just save our asses, so I’ll give her a pass. Let’s get out of here,” he motioned for me to lead the way up the stairs. I took it for what it was and we exited the house. Sam had already gotten Kim in the passenger side of the Jeep and was bandaging the wound on her side when we walked up.  
“How bad is it?” I tried to push past him to see but Kim waved me away with a glare.  
“One of the jerks had a knife and he cut me. Nothing a bandage and some pain killers won’t fix,” she leaned back and closed her eyes. I narrowed my eyes at her but she seemed to be doing okay.


	3. Back at the Motel

“So what happens from here?” Sam asked looking from me to his brother.  
“I offered them the resources from the bunker. Unless you have somewhere you have to be?” he asked me.  
“You offered them the bunker?” Sam sounded surprised.  
“No… we haven’t had a home in a long time,” I answered Dean, “I’d appreciate the help, actually.”  
“Well it’s a little over fifteen hours back, so let’s get moving. You can follow us,” Dean went to the impala without another word. I watched them crank the car and then got into the jeep. It’d probably be a long ride, I would have a long time to think. About revenge, about my sister, and about a certain green eyed Winchester. 

~  
“Am I missing something?” Sam asked Dean as they took off down the road. Dean looked back to make sure the jeep was following them before he addressed his brother.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam.  
“She’s a witch. You are the most mistrustful person I know but you just invited them back to the bunker. To our home,” Sam’s voice was incredulous.  
“You carried her out of the house,” Dean pointed out.  
“She saved our lives,” Sam argued.  
“There’s no reason to argue about it Sam. We’re going to help them.”  
“I never thought I’d hear you say something like that about a witch. You’re starting to sound like me.”  
“They need us, Sammy. We help people that need us. Done deal.” Nik had looked so down in the basement. Her hazel eyes had been full of uncertainty. She’d asked what happened next and he’d spoken before thinking. All he wanted was to wipe that heartbroken look off of her face. That was a worrisome feeling. 

~ 

Sam wasn’t upset that Dean had invited them back. He knew something was special about Kim when he first saw her. Her smile hit him like the force of a sun. He obviously hadn’t know she was a witch but he knew things weren’t always black and white. Dean being the one to make the offer confused him though. It looked like they were in for a interesting time. 

~  
Eight hours later I watched Dean pull into a motel and I gently nudged Kim awake. She’d used a small healing spell to take care of the worst of her wounds and she was exhausted. She saw the motel lights and breathed a sigh of relief. We’d only stopped twice before for gas so this was a welcome reprieve. I pulled into the spot next to the boys and Sam was at the passenger side door immediately. He helped Kim out of the car as Dean walked out of the main office. He handed Sam a key card and then headed to me.  
“I got two rooms,” Dean motioned to the door Sam was leading Kim through.  
“Thank you,” I said. I didn’t really know what else to say at this point. A lot of things had happened today and my mind was still reeling.  
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Come with me, I’ll look at that line on your neck,” he used the key card to open the other door and I followed him into the room. He turned on the bathroom light and opened up a first aid kit from one of the duffel bags. He motioned for me to follow and I went into the bathroom.  
“Lift your head,” he ordered and I did as he demanded. He took a damp towel and began to clean up the wounds I’d sustained.  
“Dean. Thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this. You don’t know us,” I started talking.  
“Actually, Dad told me about you. The girl he’d told the truth to. We don’t do that often in our line of work,” he answered as he poured some alcohol on a cotton swab. I winced a little as he placed it on my neck. “Sorry,” Dean muttered as he cleaned the wound.  
“No, it’s fine. It’s weird that the alcohol hurts worse than the actual wound,” I kept my head up as he put a small bandage on my neck, and then I looked at him. “I’m sorry. About your dad. He was a good man.”  
“He was. He saw something in you. He wouldn’t have told you otherwise,” Dean stood and pulled off his shirt. I could see the blood dripping from the wound on his right shoulder and I watched as he looked in the mirror. “That’s going to need stitches,” he complained.  
“I’ll help. I’ve done it to myself before,” I turned away, “You want to clean it in the shower or some other way?”  
“I’ll shower and then you can help me,” Dean turned the shower on and I walked out into the bedroom. What was taking Sam so long with Kim? 

~  
Kim laid back on the bed, stretching her tired muscles. Sam sat in the chair by the bed. She looked over at him and smiled, “What do you think they’re talking about in there?”  
“Dean’s not much of a talker. Is Nik?” Sam asked.  
“To me, yes. To others? Not so much,” she laughed, “I think it’ll do her some good, being around people other than me.”  
“I don’t know. We aren’t the most functional people,” Sam smiled at her. Kim’s smile faltered and Sam noticed, “What’s wrong?”  
“My sister thinks you and your brother might want me dead,” Kim answered honestly.  
“What?” Sam blinked.  
“You know, the whole witch thing.”  
“Oh. That.”  
Kim laughed at Sam’s expression, “Yeah that.”  
“If there is one thing I’ve learned with what we do, it’s that things aren’t always right or wrong. Demons have helped us while angels have tried to kill us. Why can’t there be good witches in the world? Nurture verses Nature, right? I’ve done a few spells myself.”  
“You’re a very smart guy, Sam Winchester,” Kim laid her head back.  
“So how did you find out? About your abilities.”  
“It was Nik’s idea. We had just come off of a nasty werewolf hunt and it affected me kind of bad. I was only seventeen at the time. I’ve never had the steel demeanor she does. So to take my mind off of it, she broke into the orphanage and got copies of my records. She couldn’t find anything on her. My biological parents had died in a car accident. I was 2 months old. They had come straight from Puerto Rico. We used part of our inheritance left by our adopted parents and flew there for two weeks. Learned a lot about my culture, my history. My great aunt gave me her grimoire. We go back once a year. I’ve even become fluent in Spanish. Niko’s Spanish is terrible but she tries.”  
“Wow. That’s an amazing story,” Sam replied.  
“Yeah, our lives have been a pretty big rollercoaster. But so have yours from what I gather.”  
“Yeah you could say that,” Sam answered, and so they began swapping stories and time was lost. 

~  
I heard the shower turn off and picked up the lighter on the table. Dean walked into the room in only his jeans to see me heating the needle. I motioned for him to sit on the bed and he turned his back to me. His incredibly muscled back. He hissed slightly as I pushed the needle through flesh.  
“I’ll be quick,” I promised as I pulled the needle through and tightened up the wound. Kim would be able to heal this quickly but she needed the rest. I was kind of enjoying touching him anyway. Where in the hell did that thought come from? I finished stitching him up, put on the antibacterial cream and bandaged him up.  
“Alright Winchester, you’re good to go,” I put the needle and thread back in the case and turned to walk into the bathroom right as Dean stood up from the bed. We collided, and he grabbed me to keep me upright. We were inches from each other. How many times had I dreamed that exact scenario?  
“You okay?” He asked, his voice was a little rough.  
“Yeah. You?” I absently ran my hands up his arms. The door opened and we jumped apart. Sam walked in and grabbed his bag to get his clothes. He checked Dean’s back and gave me a compliment about my stitching skills. I didn’t really hear what he said as my pulse was pounding in my ears and I had an incredible urge to run far away. Sam handed me my key card and I nodded to them both and left the room. I made it into the room and placed my head in my hands.  
“What happened to you?” Kim asked with concern.  
“Kim, as my sister, do you promise not to judge me?”  
“Absolutely not, but I can try,” she edged forward on the bed, suddenly curious.  
“I almost kissed him,” I whispered, “He was there, shirtless and there were muscles and those eyes, Kim. And all I wanted was to kiss him.”  
“Why didn’t you?” she demanded excitedly.  
“Sam walked in and I think I died somewhere between there and here,” I sank down to the floor as Kim laughed. “I feel like you aren't being very supportive,” I scowled at her.  
“I'm sorry! I'm just not used to seeing you like this. You're always so put together and here comes Dean Winchester and you're a puddle. It's a little shocking,” she tried to calm her laughter but my glare sent her giggling again. What had I done to deserve this betrayal?


	4. Whisky is For Professionals

“What was that?” Sam asked as Nik practically fled the room.  
“I don't know,” Dean answered as he stared at the door.  
“Did you try a move on her?”   
“What? No, it's not like that! I just… wait, what about how long you were in there with her sister, huh, Romeo?” Dean shrugged his shirt on.  
“We were just talking about their lives,” Sam objected.   
“Yeah well she offered to do the stitching. We didn't talk much,” Dean moved out of the way so that Sam could get to the bathroom. He didn't tell his brother how soft her skin had been or how gentle she'd been while tending him. This was going to be a long few weeks. He needed to find a bar. 

~  
Sam heard the door to the motel room shut as he turned the shower on. He’d bet money that Dean was headed to the bar that they had passed on the way here. This twist of events had messed with both of them. Dean was acting strange and Sam knew it had something to do with Nik. Then again, Sam couldn’t say he wasn’t acting a little strange either. Meeting these women had turned things a little sideways. They were beautiful, intriguing, and they were hunters. Sam had never been lucky in love but there was something about Kim that he couldn’t shake. He finished showering and dressed again. Maybe he should see if Kim was up for a trip to the bar. He was interested to get to know more about her life. 

~

I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard Kim talking to someone. A few moments later she knocked on the bathroom door. Sam was inviting us out the bar and I readily agreed to go. It had been a long hard day and we could all use a little distance. We left the room and Sam motioned up the road.   
“It’s not far. We passed it about ten minutes up the road. Do you want to walk?” he asked us both. It was a cool September night so we agreed it would be better to walk after being cramped up in the cars for the last eight hours. It didn’t take us long to reach the bar and we were all talking and laughing by the time we got there. Sam was definitely interested in Kim, and I could tell the feelings were mutual. I hung back a little as they talked. We walked into the bar and Sam pointed to a table. Dean sat there and it looked like he had already started drinking. The waitress was replacing his empty beer bottle with a fresh one and he looked surprised when we all sat with him. The waitress asked what we all wanted and Kim ordered a beer, Sam followed suit.   
“And you?” She asked me with a smile.   
“Water, please,” I answered.   
“Nik doesn’t drink,” Kim announced as the waitress walked off.   
“Never?” Sam asked with a curious expression.  
“Once in college.”   
“Why?” Dean asked.   
“I’ve never had the urge to. It didn’t strike me as something that would bring any kind of extra enjoyment in my life,” I shrugged.   
“Did that vampire nest seem crazy large to you?” Kim asked me. I breathed an inner sigh of relief at her subject change. She knew I didn’t like talking about myself.  
“Yeah I was thinking that myself. I’ve never seen one larger than ten vamps,” Sam agreed.   
“Probably shouldn’t discuss it here,” Dean stood and walked to the jukebox in the corner.   
“Is he okay?” Kim asked Sam. Sam shrugged and made some apology for Dean not being much of a people person, but I was watching as a small blond in Daisy Dukes put her hand on Dean’s arm. He smiled at her and I found myself jealous. Which was insane, because who was he to me? The waitress came back with our drinks and I asked her for some whisky. Kim gave me a shocked look but I shrugged, “No time like the present to try new things.”   
The girl brought me the drink and I took a sip. It burned going down but I held in the cough. Dean was still smiling at the blond. Kim and Sam were immersed in their own conversation and I was definitely beginning to feel a little out of place. I ordered another whisky. Then a third. I think I stopped somewhere after five. That was a mistake. Never having had anything that strong, I was a light weight. I told Kim I was going back to the motel. She looked concerned but I smiled and didn’t even wobble when I stood. I left some cash on the table to pay for my drinks and exited the bar. Would Dean take that girl back to the motel?   
It was colder out now and I took a deep breath. It seemed to settle my thoughts and I stood for a minute just breathing. I’d always loved the cold air. There was something clean and refreshing about it. However, I was only wearing a light jacket and the whisky made me think I was warmer than I actually was. I looked back to the bar and debated on if it was worth my dignity to go back in or if I should suck it up and walk back shivering. I remembered the way Dean smiled at the girl and decided to head back to the motel.   
“Do you need some help?” a voice came from a truck in the parking lot.   
“No thanks, just headed back home,” I answered as I headed towards the road.   
“I can give you a ride,” the man walked up to me and smiled.   
“That’s very kind but I don’t know you. So again, no thanks,” I kept walking. He grabbed my arm and turned me around.   
“You look like you need someone to take care of you,” he laughed.   
“Brother, I don’t want to hurt you but you best remove your hand from my person or I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you,” being drunk apparently made my geek come forward. Hopefully Nathan Fillion was somewhere being proud of my Firefly quote. The man’s grip tightened and I swung. I thought I’d gotten a good hit in but I was more drunk than I imagined. All I succeeded in doing was almost falling on my face. I had hit him however, and he reciprocated. That did make me fall on my face. Everything that happened after that was a blur.   
“You son of a bitch,” came from somewhere near the door of the bar and the next thing I knew the guy that hit me was bleeding on the ground.   
“Are you okay?” Dean’s concerned face hovered over mine for a second as I lay on the ground.  
“Peachy, Dean. I could’ve taken him,” I mumbled.   
“I’m sure, princess. Let’s go,” He lifted me up off the ground and swung me into his arms.   
“Who are you calling princess?” I asked, but his chest was warm and the whisky was strong, it wasn’t long before I was lost to world of sleep. 

~  
Dean had been watching Nik swing back the whisky like a pro. He saw the wince on her face every time she did it, though. The blond in front of him was talking but he wasn’t really paying attention to her. He looked over the songs in the jukebox but couldn’t find anything worth playing. When he looked back over Nik was gone.   
“Sorry sweetheart, I gotta go,” he walked back to Sam, “Pay for my beer would you? I’m going back.” He didn’t wait for a reply and walked out the door. He got out just in time to see Nik swing on a guy holding her arm. She connected the hit, but stumbled and missed her main target. The man slapped her and she fell to the ground. Dean saw red.   
“You son of a bitch,” he growled. He went after the guy. He grabbed him by the jacket and swung hard. The guy went down like a sack. He rolled Nik over and her eyes fluttered.   
“Are you okay?” he didn’t see any marks on her face, she should be fine with some sleep.   
“Peachy, Dean. I could’ve taken him,” she mumbled to him.   
He smiled, “I’m sure, Princess. Let’s go.” He lifted her up and swung her into his arms. She curled into him like a kitten.   
“Who are you calling princess?” she said near his ear. He kept quiet as he started walking back to the motel. Within a few moments her breathing had evened out and he knew she was asleep. He carried her back to the motel with no issues. He sat her on her feet long enough to get the keycard out of his pocket, and she leaned into him.   
He lifted her again and laid her in one of the beds. She sighed and rolled over, wrapping her arms around the pillow. He texted Sam and told him what had happened. Sam texted back immediately that they were heading back and would be there soon. Nik’s dark brown hair had fallen out of her braid and he pushed it back behind her ear. She turned into his hand and he rubbed a thumb across her cheek. He sighed and shook his head at himself. With one last look at her, he left the room.


	5. Breakfast Pie

“I should have gone with her!” Kim kicked a rock down the road. The man had been gone by the time they’d paid and left, but she imagined she was kicking in his head.   
“She was fine when she left,” Sam tried to console her.  
“She’s my sister. I knew she’d never drank that much.”  
“Dean’s with her. She’s fine. We’ll be there in five minutes.”   
“I saw Dean leave and I thought they would talk and quit being weird! I was too absorbed in our conversation,” Kim admitted.   
“It was a good conversation. I thought the same about Dean, though. They seem to be affected by one another,” Sam pointed to where he could seen Dean leaning on the hood of the impala. Kim ran up to him and asked about Nik.   
“She's asleep. That whisky took a toll on her. I didn't want to disturb her so I came out here,” he pushed off of the hood and opened the door to the room. Nik was curled around a pillow and she was snoring softly. Dean lifted her up off the bed and followed Kim to the room they were using.   
“Which bed?” he asked.  
“The one by the bathroom is fine,” Kim watched as Dean laid her sister down gently. She thanked him and covered her sister with the blankets. The boys said goodnight and left. Kim closed the door and shook her head. What a long day this had been. It was time to get some sleep. 

~

“That was nice of you. Taking care of her like that,” Sam told Dean as they both prepared for bed.   
“There is just something about her, Sam. Did you see the way she went charging into that basement to save her sister? No hesitation. She has skills, too. I have no doubt had she been sober that guy tonight would have a lot worse than a broken nose,” Dean took of his boots and laid back on the bed, “It's weird, but I look at her and I just want to fix everything for her. I think I'm going crazy.”   
“You and I both, Dean.”   
“What about Kim? You guys were pretty cozy.”  
“She's incredibly smart. Her energy is infectious. Had Garth not set this up I think I'd be suspicious it was a spell. You know Kim killed two of those vamps after she'd been stabbed? She kept going. She told me tonight she hates using her magic unless it's necessary. I don't know, it's like you said. There's something about them. Anyway, let's get some sleep. We can think about it more tomorrow.” They turned off the lights and fell asleep quickly. 

~  
Someone was pounding on my head. No… that couldn’t be right. It was coming from the inside of my skull. I opened an eye and immediately shut it again. Light was my enemy. Sound was my enemy. Life was my enemy. “Am I dead?” I croaked out.   
“No. Just hung over,” Kim answered as she sat by me on the bed, “Drink this!” She handed something to me and I drank it immediately. I regretted this decision.  
“What in the hell is that? It tastes worse than that burger I had in that Alabama diner!”   
“It’s a hangover cure. Drink it all,” Kim demanded. The pounding in my head increased as someone knocked on the door. Kim opened the door and Sam held up a couple of bags. He had gotten us breakfast and coffee. The coffee and whatever terrible concoction Kim had given me worked wonders. I was able to get ready with minimal squinting. I was never drinking again. Dean was loading up the impala as we carried our things out to the jeep.   
He smirked at me, “Morning, Princess.”   
“I will kill you right where you stand, Winchester,” I growled.   
“Someone is not a morning person,” he laughed as he climbed into the driver seat. I threw the keys to Kim and climbed into the passenger seat. Within a few moments we were back on the road. Kim bugged me about what had happened on the way back from the bar with Dean but I told her the truth. I didn’t really remember anything other than what he’d told them. She seemed like she wanted to push but thankfully let it go. We stopped at a small place in the middle of nowhere for lunch, and then it was back on the road. No one spoke much. I tried to tell Kim to forget about what happened. It had been my stupid decision to get drunk and to try and walk back alone. I was fine and we were headed on a new adventure. For now, life was okay.   
A few hours later we pulled into the parking area for what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. Sam motioned for us to follow down some steps and we all entered through a red door. Passing the boundary made my skin itch and strangely made the birthmark on my lower back burn. Definitely strange, but I discreetly rubbed my hand over it and it stopped. Something to look into later. They showed us to a couple of rooms and we spent the next hour or so unpacking and getting the tour.  
The kitchen was well equipped. It would be easy to make some good meals there. The garage was full of antique cars and I wondered if any of them still ran. Locker room showers could cause a problem, but we’d cross that bridge when we got there. The library was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. Books upon books of knowledge waiting to be explored. Kim even found a few grimoires. She held one up and showed me a spell, “There are some nasty things in here. With the right ingredients this could literally explode a person.”   
“Let’s stay away from that then,” I blinked. Sam laughed and showed her some of the spells he’d used over the years. My stomach made a weird noise and I realized we hadn’t eaten since twelve that afternoon. I looked at my watch and noticed it was almost nine o’clock already. I snuck away to the kitchen but the cabinets and fridge were bare.   
“That is a lot of bacon,” I whistled as I opened the freezer. Bacon and beer only? How were Sam and Dean in such good shape?   
“Yeah, Dean’s kind of addicted to bacon. That and pie,” Sam laughed as he reached passed me to grab a couple of beers from the fridge.  
“Is there a grocery store around here? One that’s open late?” I asked. Sam gave me directions and I asked Kim if she wanted to go with me to get groceries. She agreed and within moments we were in the jeep and headed out.   
“Hey, did you get a weird itchy feeling when you walked into the bunker?” I asked Kim as I turned onto the main road.  
“No. Did you?”   
“Yeah but I don’t know what could have caused it. Any wards you can think of that would do something weird like that?”   
“Nothing off the top of my head but I can do some research,” she agreed easily. We talked about how weird the last couple of days had been and where to go from here. We made it to the store pretty quickly and bought some essentials and things for dinner.   
“What are we making?” Kim asked as I got eggs and a few other ingredients.   
“Your favorite, breakfast for dinner. Sam said Dean loved bacon and pie so I figured we could that breakfast pie recipe you had.”   
“Heck yes I can. Brinner is the best thing ever invented.”  
“You’re strange,” I told her as we checked out and headed back. We got back to the bunker and immediately headed to the kitchen. Sam and Dean tried to follow but we kicked them out. Kim made the breakfast pie and I made real pie. Apple with vanilla ice cream waiting for it in the freezer. About an hour later we let them come in as we set the table.   
“Is that breakfast in a pie?” Dean’s voice seemed to be almost reverent. I put the apple pie next to it and he made a strangled noise.   
“Sam, they can never leave. We can never let them leave this bunker,” he grabbed a plate and a fork and dug in immediately. We all laughed and talked as we ate dinner. For the first time in a really long time I felt like life was normal. It was a good feeling. Around midnight I sighed and went to the room they’d let me have. I grabbed my laptop, went back out to library where everyone had congregated and got to work. There was a reading chair in the corner that looked like it was comfortable. I put in my headphones and got to typing. Sometime later Dean came up with a beer in his hand and a bottle of water. He handed me the water and pulled up a chair. I took off my headphones and smiled at him.   
“Looking for a case?” he asked.  
“Nope. Doing some work,” I turned the computer and he read what was written on the screen aloud.   
“ ‘She ran her hand down his stomach and’ whoa. That’s, uh, some pretty interesting stuff. Why are you writing that?”   
“It’s how I make us money. Selling books on Kindle. How do you guys do it?” I asked him.   
“Not by writing dirty novels,” he laughed.  
“To each his own,” I shrugged. He nodded and said he’d let me get back to work. I put the headphones back on and went back to it. Before I realized it three hours had gone by. I looked up to realize everyone else had already left and I decided it was time to do the same. I needed sleep. I headed to the room and passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	6. A Taste of Stone.

“What I am hearing is that two women defeated over twenty vampires?” Clint Stone said quietly as his demon minion fidgeted. Stone turned his black eyes to the henchman when only silence met his question. “Well?”  
“Our sources place the Winchesters near the scene as well, sire,” came to his ears in a rush.  
“Ah, Crowley’s pets were there! That explains some things.”  
“We’ve lost their scent. We will find them again,” his henchman swore. Before Stone could reply a blade went through the chest of the demon talking. His eyes flashed and his body fell to the ground. A woman in a red dress with dark brown hair knelt down and cleaned her blade.  
“Leslie,” Clint chided.  
“He failed. The plan will only work if we have them, Clint,” Leslie looked at the knife, “This was a handy find.”  
“Yes. Raiding that Kurdish village paid off. We won’t have any minions left if you kill them all,” Clint took the knife from her.  
“I do what I do for you,” Leslie ran a hand through his hair.  
“Patience, pet. We’ll find them,” he kissed her, “And then we’ll have everything.” 

 

~

“Two and a half weeks we’ve been searching. There is nothing in any of these books about anything or anyone named Stone!” I threw a fist into the punching bag as Kim sat near me on her computer. I continued my routine and grumbled to myself. We hadn’t heard anything else from Garth and we were still exactly where we had started.  
“We should have kept the vamp leader alive and brought him back. We could have questioned him or found something in the house! Anything would be better than sitting here and not knowing!” I punched again.  
“You know what you need?” Kim asked me as she finally looked up from the screen.  
“Something to kill,” I growled as I hit the punching bag again.  
“No. Well, yes, actually. I think I have a hunt for us,” she turned her screen around and I walked over to see what she had. A woman had been snatched while boating with her friends by a local lake. A couple of eyewitnesses said it looked like a black horse had dragged her into the river that feeds into the lake. They still hadn’t found the body.  
“I looked back a few years and found similar stories in the area. It was founded a few hundred years back by a Scottish family. Guess what all the accounts have in common? The horse’s hooves were backwards,” Kim raised a brow at me.  
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I demanded.  
“It’s a kelpie. It has to be. I knew they were real!” she said excitedly.  
“Damn it, I was hoping the kelpies would be one of the good guys,” I sighed, “Well, let’s get packed and get moving. I could use a distraction.” The last couple of weeks had been tense at best. For some reason Dean had been avoiding talking to me like I was diseased. Sam and Kim kept sneaking glances at each other but for the most part kept it professional. We’d been able to get a routine together for dinner, at least. Kim and I cooked and the boys cleaned up after we ate. It had worked out so far, but dinner was a little awkward when Dean sat silent and brooding. I had no idea what was going on with the brothers, but I had to get out of this bunker and do something productive. It only took about an hour to get everything ready. Kim had done some research on the kelpie before and they could be killed by silver bullets. Hopefully.  
As we were headed out of the bunker, Sam looked up from the table in the library, “You guys look like you’ve got something interesting happening.”  
“We got a hunt. We’ll probably be back in about a week. If that’s okay?” I asked hesitantly. I had gotten the distinctive feeling that we were wearing out our welcome in the bunker.  
“Yeah of course! We’re actually heading out ourselves. Got a call from a friend that needs some help,” Sam looked up as Dean came from the armory and tossed a bag to Sam.  
“You’re going with us?” Dean asked as he took in our appearance.  
“No, we have our own thing,” I answered.  
“Alone?” He scowled. He had the angry faces down to perfection.  
“Yes, alone. Like hundreds of times before,” I told him. Kim snorted a little and I glared at her.  
“Whatever floats your boat, Princess,” he shrugged and headed out to the garage.  
“You really get under his skin,” Kim laughed as she headed up the stairs.  
“Keep in touch, we may need help,” Sam smiled at us and followed Dean out.  
“I think you get under Sam’s,” I waggled my eyebrows at her and we laughed together as we headed out to the jeep. The job was a day’s drive out. We cranked up the radio and sang. We ate terrible food. We used the time to de-stress. Someone was out there looking for us. It was a little unnerving not knowing what was going to happen but that was life in our line of work. So instead of worrying about it, we lived. I didn’t know what I had done to get on Dean’s bad side, but Sam and Kim seemed to be becoming good friends. If that made her happy, then I could deal with surly Dean.  
We pulled up to the lakeside cabin rental office later that day and booked a room. The place looked deserted since most of the tourists had left after the incident. The clerk had looked a little distraught and was more than happy to talk about his woes with us. He’d seen the horse drag the woman to the river. He told us he would have left if he wasn’t the son of the owner. The business had only opened last year and now they were suffering because of this mystery.  
“The family that owns the land by the river weren’t happy that we were here,” he mourned, “but I’d take that over this any day.”  
“What family?” Kim asked.  
“Oh, they own the horse ranch on the hill the river flows down from. Apparently they’re descendants from the original settlers or something,” he handed us the key to our room and we left him to his misery. It was already late so we decided to get some sleep and check out the family tomorrow. Kim told me Sam had texted her to let her know they’d gotten to their destination.  
“You guys are checking in with each other now?” I raised an eyebrow at her.  
“It’s polite,” she shrugged. I shook my head and went to take my shower. How dramatically our lives had changed.

 

~

“Kim and Nik made it to the lake. Apparently they’re hunting a kelpie,” Sam told Dean as they left Jody’s house. She had called them for help with a ghoul situation.  
“Well that’s nice,” Dean opened the trunk and pulled out a bat and machete.  
“What’s up with you, man? It was you that invited them in.”  
“What’s your point?”  
“You said you wanted to help them. You can’t help them if you avoid them,” Sam reasoned.  
“When we find out what’s after them, I’ll do what I do best. Kill it,” Dean shrugged and checked the edge of the machete, “Come on, Sammy. We got some ghoul hunting to do.” Sam sighed and got in the car. Trying to get anything out of Dean was worse than pulling teeth.


	7. Horse Rides and Broken Bones

“How amazing it must be for your family to have lived here all these generations!” Kim laughed as the McAlister heir, Declan, showed us the surrounding land. We had told him we were interested in buying the neighboring land and building our own home.  
“Yeah Dad’s pretty proud of our heritage,” he smiled at her enthusiasm.  
“It’s dangerous though. I heard a woman died here recently?” I asked as I took my shoes off and walked into the shallow part of the river.  
“Oh yeah, I guess she and her friends had been drinking. Heard something crazy about a horse but we don’t have any wild horses around here. They’re all trained,” he explained.  
“The clerk said he saw it. I’ve never heard of horses attacking people like that though,” Kim frowned.  
“They don’t, generally. We’re very careful with them at the ranch. They don’t have access this far out. My brothers and I take the safety of our herd very seriously.”  
“All of you still live out here?” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. The water was cold running over my feet and I almost missed his answer as I lost myself in the peace of the outdoors.  
“Well, all but one. There are six of us and my youngest brother decided he wasn’t too keen on mountain life. Sometimes he comes back to visit but it’s rare.” Declan’s face turned sour.  
“Bad blood?” Kim asked sympathetically.  
“Something like that. We should be heading back. The woods get dangerous at night,” he lead us back to the road. Kim asked him why as they walked ahead of me. I turned and pulled out my cell phone to take a picture of the land. There was nothing I loved more than being surrounded by nature. I looked down at the photo on my phone, but my head shot up as I heard something moving in the trees. I saw something black moving through the trees across the river. I went to investigate but Declan’s voice cut through the silence.  
“Are you alright? We realized you weren’t behind us,” his face was serious and I held up my phone.  
“Sorry, I just wanted a photo. This looks like it could be my new favorite place!” I smiled at him and headed towards the spot Kim stood. We reached her pretty quickly and Declan surprised us both by inviting us to dinner. His mom always cooked enough for an army and he was impressed by how well we’d made the hike to the river. We agreed easily. We were both armed with our guns under our jackets. We got in the jeep and followed him higher up into the trees.  
“Do you think he’s gonna cook us for dinner?” Kim mused.  
“Well, he can try. I imagine we’re really chewy,” I answered as we pulled up to a massive home. It was absolutely gorgeous. The front of the house was mostly glass, showing a magnificiently decorated living room and high ceilings. I whistled as I exited the jeep. Declan’s mom met us outside and seemed pleased to have guests. She gave us a tour of their hillside mansion and I found myself wishing our story was true. It’d be nice to have a home like this in the middle of nowhere. Not worrying about what was going on in the outside world. The ability to come out and walk in the water or sit in the roots of a tree and read.  
“So, will you girls be bringing your husbands with you?” Ms. McAlister asked as Declan helped her load the table.  
“Oh it’s just my sister and I, ma’am,” Kim smiled at the older woman.  
“Did you hear that Declan?” she nudged her son and headed back into the kitchen.  
“Please ignore her. She’s been trying to get us married off for years. She wants grandbabies,” he smiled at us. I looked at him and noticed the twinkle in his blue eyes. He was a very handsome man. He was rich, he had a good stable business. His family seemed to really care for one another. Kim and I could do worse when it came to settling down. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, my treachorous brain flashed those green eyes into my thoughts. I shook my head to realize Kim and I were alone in the dining room.  
“You okay? You zoned out there for a second,” she leaned over to whisper.  
“This family doesn’t seem like the type to murder and eat innocent people,” I said quietly. She nodded her head to agree but we weren't able to continue our conversation. The rest of the family filed in from the ranch. Declan did his best to introduce everyone but after the third name I was already lost. The brothers all looked very similar. Tall, muscular, dark hair and ice blue eyes. They were all very friendly and I found myself relaxing slightly as we ate.  
We stayed talking to them until late. We left no further along than that morning. The McAlisters seemed to be in the clear. All I had was a picture of a forest and a glimpse of something in the trees. The ride back to the cabin was quiet. We had needed this hunt to clear our heads but it wasn’t going the way we expected. It felt like things were at a standstill in every part of our lives. I was so deep in my own thoughts I didn’t see the horse until it was too late. Kim cursed as I slammed on the brakes and the jeep swerved to the left. The damn horse jumped out of the way and we luckily avoided any trees. I asked Kim if she was okay and when she said she was we took stock of our situation.  
I was very thankful for the jeep, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last time. It definitely wasn’t the first. I was able to get us back on the road with minimal issues. We parked and got out with guns drawn. We moved around the jeep but nothing was there. Kim called the all clear on her side as I cleared mine. Why would the kelpie walk out in front of us just to disappear? The sound of hooves and a high pitched neigh had me spinning. I was able to jump out of the way right as he lifted his hooves and tried to trample me. I rolled to the side and lifted my gun, but he galloped around the jeep toward Kim. I heard a gun shot but no answering scream from the kelpie. I got up and ran around to see Kim okay but no horse in sight. I climbed up onto the hood of the jeep and looked around the area.  
“See anything?” she breathed as we scanned the area.  
“Not yet. Bastard blends in when it’s this dark out,” I replied as I spun in a slow circle. Suddenly he burst out of the trees and was headed right for Kim in front of the jeep. I did the only thing I could think of in the heat of the moment. I leapt off the hood and onto the beast’s back. He reared back and I grabbed a handful of his mane to stay in spot.  
“Shoot it!” I called to Kim as I wrestled with my legs and hands to get him where I needed him.  
“He’s moving too much!” Kim held her gun up and as he reared again she took her shot. It hit him right in the chest. He flung himself backwards and I went with him, down the side of the road and right into a tree. I heard a distinctive crack and pain blinded me for a moment. I heard another gun shot and looked to my right to see Kim shoot the horse in the head. It slumped as it died, and I slowly sat up and cradled my left arm.  
“Backward hooves. Looks like we got our guy,” Kim came over and looked at my arm. The bone had pierced the skin. It was definitely broken.  
“Can you heal it?” We’d never had broken bones before. This was new territory for both of us.  
“In theory? Yes, but I’ve never done it before and could mess it up,” she helped me stand and we got back to the jeep. She opened the passenger side door and I was able to climb in with her assistance. I watched her turn and mutter some words towards the kelpie. Slowly he lowered into the earth and soon it looked like nothing had ever happened there. I held my arm close as she navigated the bumpy road and we looked up the nearest hospital as soon as we were back on the main road. We got there in half an hour thanks to Kim’s great driving skills. They took me back immediately and hooked me up to an IV, and that was the last I remembered of the night.


	8. The Angry Winchester

Kim came back into the hospital room from buying a phone charger in the hospital gift shop. She plugged her phone in and adjusted the blankets around her sleeping sister. They’d given Nik some pretty potent pain meds and she’d been out soon after. They’d been able to set the bone, do the stitches and get her a cast pretty easily with her unconscious. As soon as the phone recharged, Kim was texting Sam.  
“At the hospital. Kelpie vanquished, but Nik broke her arm in the process,” she sent. It was about an hour later when she received a call from Sam.  
“Hey! What happened?” he sounded concerned and Kim told him everything.  
“And then the idiot jumps on the kelpie’s back. Having never ridden a horse in her life,” Kim exclaimed. Nik shifted and Kim stood and walked out into the hall to avoid waking her.  
“I couldn’t heal it with any certainty, it was pretty bad. The doctor said she should have a full recovery though,” Kim told him.  
“What was she thinking?” came an angry shout from Dean in the background.  
“Sorry,” Sam apologized and then his voice sounded closer, “I had you on speaker so Dean could hear what happened. Alright, where are you guys?” Kim told him and they checked to see how far away they were.  
“We’ll probably be here all night. The doctor said something about monitoring her while she’s on the meds,” Kim assured Sam as he told her they were on the way. Nik was still asleep when they got there four hours later. Kim asked Sam if they would sit with her while she went and filled the prescriptions. Dean offered to go get the medications. Sam and Kim sat in silence while the nurse came in and changed the IV. She was able to get Nik awake long enough to ask if she needed more morphine. Nik complained about the pain so the nurse gave her another dose. She was asleep again before Dean returned. Sam took Dean to the side and asked him to sit with Nik while he took Kim down to the gift shop. They went together but Sam had Kim wait outside the gift shop while he went in. He came out with a blue teddy bear and handed it to her.  
She laughed as he handed it to her, “What is this for?”  
“Tomorrow is your birthday, right?” he smiled at her.  
“Oh yeah. Wow, I almost forgot.”  
“Yeah Nik’s been trying to find something to do for you. She asked me to help but things were a little crazy the last few days.”  
“Oh! How did the ghoul thing go?”  
“There was only one. Didn’t take long to take care of it. Your hunt was definitely more exciting.”  
“I’m sure Nik’s regretting that excitement right about now.”  
“She’s like Dean. They love what they do. Saving people and hunting comes before most things,” Sam pulled her down onto a couch in the waiting room and she looked up to him.  
“She’s in the hospital because I couldn’t heal her. She’s only hurt because she jumped on the kelpie to stop him coming at me.”  
“You know she wouldn’t want you thinking that. In fact that’s the last thing she would want. I’m sure she’ll tell you just as much when she wakes up.”  
“Yeah it doesn’t make it any less true.”  
“We all know the risks we take in this job. My heart jumped when I read your text earlier. All I saw was ‘at the hospital’ and I thought you were hurt. I’m glad she did what she did, because you could have been hurt a lot worse than what Nik got if he’d reached you. I would have done the same. Not that I wanted Nik hurt, but at least she’ll heal. He would’ve trampled you, Kim.”  
“You would jump on the back of a charging hell beast?” she raised her eyebrow at him.  
“For you? Yes,” he reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear. He leaned in and gently touched his lips to hers. Kim kissed him back and he pulled her close. The kiss ended, but he kept her in his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder.  
“Thank you for coming. For being here,” Kim told him.  
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Sam answered. 

~  
I couldn’t wake up. I felt like something was holding me under water. No matter what I did I couldn’t seem to seem to shake this feeling. I started to panic and all I knew was I needed to get out. I needed to fight whatever was holding me. I tried to push myself up with my good arm, kicking to get the weight off my legs. Suddenly there were hands on my shoulders, pushing me gently back down.  
“Easy, Princess. Take it easy, you’re alright,” a gruff voice I knew broke through the fog in my mind.  
“Dean?” I opened my eyes and blinked at the glaring overhead light. Sure enough, Dean stood above me. He helped me sit up in the bed. He placed a pillow behind my back and I leaned into it, “What are you doing here?”  
“Kim called. Sam took her to get something from the gift shop. They should be back soon,” he answered as he sat back down in the chair by the bed.  
“She’s probably blaming herself for this,” I sighed and closed my eyes again.  
“When she should really be blaming you,” Dean’s comment made me open my eyes and lift my head to glare at him.  
“Excuse me?” I replied as calmly as I could.  
“What the hell were you thinking? You could’ve been killed! You could’ve gotten your sister killed! What if you’d cracked your head open instead of just breaking your arm? What if you’d fallen off and gotten trampled?” he demanded angrily.  
“You weren’t there! It was headed right for her and I had to do something!” I argued.  
“And you did it without one thought passing through that brainless head of yours! It was irresponsible and reckless,” he shook his head. Before I could reply he’d left the room. Angry tears filled my eyes. How dare he say I put my sister in danger? Who was he to say I didn’t think? I couldn’t even go after him to kick his ass because I was wired to this damn bed! I heard Sam and Kim call to Dean in the hallway and I hastily cleaned my face off and laid back down on the bed. Kim ran in, Dean must have told her I was awake.  
“Nik! How are you feeling? What’s wrong?” she asked as she got a look at my face.  
“Nothing, my arm just hurts. When can I get out of here?”  
“The nurse just said you should be able to leave in a couple of hours. We’ve already got your antibiotics and pain meds ready to go,” Sam answered.  
“We need to go back to the cabin to get our things,” I sighed.  
“Dean and I will go get it. You guys can meet us at the bunker?” Sam placed a hand on Kim’s arm as he asked the question. She nodded to him and he headed out to find Dean. I raised an eyebrow at her but only got a shrug in return.  
“I don’t know if we should go back to the bunker,” I told her.  
“Of course we should. It’s the safest place for us until we can figure out what’s going on. You’ll need time to heal.”  
“I don’t think Dean wants me around. He didn’t seem to thrilled with me just now,” I wanted to be honest with Kim, but Dean’s angry words had hurt. More than I wanted to admit.  
“Dean can go suck an egg,” she stuck her tongue out and I laughed. The doctor came in at that moment to tell me it would take six to eight weeks for my arm to heal completely. I groaned as Kim vowed to keep me from doing anything strenuous. Life had just gotten a lot more dull.


	9. Make up birthday party

Sam and Dean finished loading everything into the impala and went to return the key to the clerk. They walked in to see a tall man with black hair speaking with the guy behind the counter. The clerk looked over and held a hand up to the man in front of him, “One second Mr. McAlister. Can I help you gentlemen?”  
“We’re returning a key for a friend. She had a bit of an emergency and asked us to turn it in for her,” Sam handed the key over the counter.  
“Are you friends with Nik and Kim?” the tall man asked.  
“Who's asking?” Dean gave the man a glare.  
“My name is Declan. I own the horse ranch up the road from here. I saw tire tracks going into the trees and there was a lot of blood. I'm trying to make sure they're okay,” Declan answered.  
Dean opened his mouth to reply but Sam beat him to it, “They're fine, thank you for your concern.”  
“Oh thank God. I had thought…” Declan sighed in relief.  
“Thought what?” Dean demanded.  
“Hmm? Sorry, didn't realize I'd spoken. My youngest brother is missing as well so my brain isn't where it needs to be. Can you give this to Nik for me? I'd like to speak to her again,” he held out a business card and Dean took it from him without a word. Sam and Dean thanked the clerk and left the office. Dean tossed the card onto the ground and Sam stopped to pick it up. He slid it into his pocket to give to Nik later.

~  
Dean tossed the card to the side and climbed into the impala. He turned the key and waited for Sam to get in before peeling out of the parking lot. Seeing Nik in that hospital bed had shaken him up. Then they come here and the cowboy had acted like he cared about Nik. Who the hell was that guy anyway? They had only been out here a day and a half!  
Then he thought about how she'd gotten under his skin in just a few weeks. He shook his head and decided to think of something else. He looked at Sam, “So the horse ranch owner’s brother is missing, and the girls killed a horse-like monster last night. Kim said the family has lived here for generations. What do you want to bet that they're a family of kelpies?”  
“It makes sense,” Sam agreed, “but Kim said the younger brother didn't get along well with the family when I talked to her last night. Maybe these guys aren't all bad. The last killing happened decades ago before this.”  
“Who knows? I think we should keep an eye on the area, though.”  
“Yeah I agree,” Sam nodded. Dean hit the highway and turned up the music. They had a long ride home. 

~  
“Hey, stop up here!” I pointed with my good hand to the store on the right. Kim pulled in and pulled into a parking space. “Stay here I'll be right back!” I ran into the grocery store and headed straight to the bakery.  
“How can I help you?” the cheerful teenage behind the counter asked.  
“I need the girliest most outrageous cake you have ready to go.” The girl went to the back and came out with a giant pink monstrosity. There were flowers made from icing and a unicorn in the middle. It was covered in edible glitter.  
“This is perfect. Can you write something on it for me?” I asked gleefully.  
“Sure, what would you like?”  
“Happy 25th birthday, little sister,” I waited while she wrote the message and had her wrap it so nothing showed. I paid and carried it very carefully back to the jeep. I put it in the floor in the back and climbed in.  
“What is that?” Kim laughed.  
“Nothing important. How far are we from home?” I asked her.  
“Home?”  
“The bunker. You know what I meant,” I grumbled.  
“About 30 minutes,” she turned back onto the road, “Sam and Dean are already back. I don't know why the hospital took so long to release you.”  
“Because they gave me the good stuff and you know I'm a light weight,” I laughed.  
Kim laughed along with me and we spent the next half hour singing Backstreet Boys and enjoying each other's company. When we pulled into the garage I asked Kim to send Sam out. She gave me a weird look but went into the bunker. A few moments later he came out and I showed him the cake.  
“That is terrible,” he laughed.  
“I know! Isn't it perfect?” he helped me wrap it back up and carry it in. To my surprise the boys had cooked dinner. We ate together and then Sam helped me get the cake open and put in the candles. He carried it out to the library and Kim burst out laughing.  
“That is amazing! Is that what you got on the way back?” she blew out the candles and we sang happy birthday. It was almost like that first night when we all talked and enjoyed dinner. A couple of hours later I walked in to the kitchen to put up my plate. Sam came in and handed me a card.  
“Declan said he'd like to hear from you. I figured you'd want to know. He also said his brother is missing,” he took my now clean plate and put it in the cabinet.  
“Oh damn. I knew his brother was the kelpie. I was hoping differently though. They were such a nice family,” I sighed.  
“He seemed really concerned about you. Maybe just let him know you're okay,” Sam smiled and walked back out to the party. I took my phone out and shot a quick text to Declan, “My friend told me you were worried. Thank you. I'm fine.” Could I tell the man that we had murdered his brother? I went back out to try and help Kim have a good birthday, I'd figure the rest out later.


	10. "Please Forgive Me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the rights to the song I quote in this chapter. Enjoy please.

Stone looked at the map, the tracking spell pointing him in the direction they needed to go. What were they doing in Kansas? One of his demons had tracked the girls to the cabin rental, and had seen them kill the kelpie. He had been smart and collected some of Nik's blood from the tree she had hit. Now he would always know where she was. Which meant he had them both. The problem was that something was blocking him from the exact location.   
Leslie placed her arm through his, “Shall I go and fetch them?”   
“No. Send Jackson, I need you here for when they're brought in. No one can torture quite like you,” he answered. Leslie left him to give the order and he smiled. He could feel how close he was to victory. He just needed them together. 

~

I watched anxiously as Kim tried the spell to mend a broken bone on a broken stick. The broken pieces melded together better than the last few tries and I started to have hope. Until the entire thing disintegrated. Kim yelled in frustration, “Why does that keep happening?”   
“I don’t know, but it does look like you're going without me,” I flopped onto the reading chair as Sam and Dean came back from putting the supplies in the impala.   
“Are we ready to go?” Sam looked at the dust on the table and winced.   
“It'll just be the three of us. Nik says she doesn't want to waste time arguing again,” Kim gave me a sympathetic look and then headed out with Dean. On the last hunt I'd wasted thirty minutes trying to convince her I'd be fine. She had reciprocated by locking me in my room with a spell. Dean had smirked the whole time.   
“At least this one is close,” Sam said, “Only an hour away. We'll be back for dinner!” I smiled at him and he left to follow the others. I sighed again, alone in the world. Well, I could at least clean the bunker and have dinner ready for when they got back. I changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. I grabbed the speaker from my room and hooked it up to play my favorites. Before long I was lost to the music. 

 

~

Dean stabbed the demon in front of him with an angel blade and ran into the other room of the warehouse. A demon had Sam pinned to the wall, but Kim was fighting him with her own magic. Dean ducked as another swung at him and he pushed his blade up through the gut of the demon. He looked up to see Kim throw the demon back, but he recovered quickly and used his own powers to do the same to her. The demon put his hand to Kim’s throat, “Where is the other one? Where’s your sister, witch?”   
He sounded desperate and he had obviously lost his focus. Sam was able to break the hold and stab him in the back. They all took a moment to catch their breath and to make sure there were no other attackers. The warehouse was clear and they walked out to Baby. Kim was the one to break the silence as they cleaned their weapons.   
“Why did he ask about Nik?” she tossed her blade into the trunk.   
“Because this was a set up. Probably our buddy Stone. You two normally hunt together so he was expecting you to both come,” Dean closed the trunk, “We need to get back to the bunker.” They jumped into the car and sped back home. Baby’s tires squealed as he drove into the garage and jumped out of the car. He ran into the bunker and rushed towards the music coming from the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Nik in front of the stove. He’d never seen her in anything but her everyday clothes, and the sight of her in so little stunned him for a moment. She was singing along with Bryan Adams as she cooked whatever smelled so good.   
“Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you. Don’t deny me this pain I’m going through. Please forgive me if I need you like I do,” she sang with feeling.   
“Nik,” Dean forced himself to cough out. She spun with a deer in headlights look on her face.   
“Dean. I was making dinner. I cleaned the bunker too. You guys are back earlier than I expected,” she babbled. He nodded to her and turned to head to the showers. Kim and Sam stood behind him and they had identical smiles on their faces.   
“She’s fine,” he said unnecessarily and walked away from them both. 

~

I watched Dean stomp away as Sam and Kim entered the kitchen. I turned and put the casserole back in the oven to melt the cheese I had just added. I asked Kim to take it out in ten minutes so I could go change. She agreed and winked at me as I practically fled the kitchen. I had planned on putting on more clothes before they returned. I must have lost track of time while cleaning the bunker. I had to pass the showers on my way to my room and I heard something that made me slow. Dean was singing.   
“So if you’re feeling lonely, don’t. You’re the only one I’ll ever want. I only want to make it good. So if I love you a little more than I should, please forgive me,” the words from the song I’d been playing in the kitchen. One of my favorite songs, actually. I shamelessly listened as he continued. The man had the voice of an angel. Of course he did. The water turned off and I jumped up from where I was leaning on the wall. I made it to my room in record time and closed the door a little forcefully. This was getting complicated. I grabbed my clothes and took my phone off of the charger to see a text from Declan.   
I headed to the showers and ignored his text for now. Kim and I still debated if we should go back and confess to killing the kelpie. It made our job a little more real when there was family looking for a missing member. Granted, he had killed a tourist and tried to kill us, but he was still someone’s brother. I couldn’t even think how I would react if it were Kim and I in the same situation. I made sure the showers were empty and took a quick one before I could be interrupted. Soon I was dressed and back in the kitchen. Kim had just placed the casserole on the table and the boys were setting out the plates. They thanked me for cooking but they were being unusually quiet.  
“What’s up, guys?” I asked as I looked between the three of them.  
“We think the demon possession we went after today was a set up by Stone. One of them asked where you were before Sam killed him,” Kim answered.   
“Me? Why me?” I blinked.  
“We think he wanted you both there together. Like with the vamps in Atlanta,” Sam replied.   
“Who the fuck is this guy?” I threw my fork down.  
“Language,” Kim said on reflex.   
“Well, we have time to figure it out. Let’s finish eating and make a plan,” Sam interrupted before I could argue with my sister. We all agreed, but dinner was fairly silent after that.


	11. To Date or Not To Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mature audiences, sexy time commences

Clint lifted a chair and it shattered as it hit the wall. The room was destroyed. The news of Jackson’s failure had not been received well. Leslie watched as Clint kicked a hole in the wall. He was out of furniture to break. She turned the knife around and sliced a thin line along the chest of the demon that had delivered the news. He had ran instead of getting the answers they needed. Clint gave him to Leslie as punishment. The demon grunted as she dug the tip a little deeper into his skin.  
“You’re sure she wasn’t there?” Leslie asked.  
“Yes, my queen. It was only the witch and the Winchesters,” his last word turned into a scream as Leslie carved a piece of flesh away.  
“The witch is the main piece!” Clint screamed at the henchman.  
“My lord, we did not know. We are unaware of the specifics! Please I will go back!”  
“Ugh, he’s begging. How weak,” Leslie carved another piece.  
“Kill him,” Clint demanded. Leslie made a happy squeal as she very slowly pushed the knife into the hollow of the demon’s throat. When he was dead, she pushed the chair over and went to Clint.  
“If they had brought her back, Nik would have come. She’d do anything to save her sister. Everything would be over,” he fumed.  
“They’ll resurface out of their hole. We’ll make our move then,” she rubbed his shoulders as he calmed from his tirade.  
“They’re the only ones that can break the bonds,” he pulled her to him and placed his forehead on her shoulder.  
“It will be done. Like you said, we just have to be patient.” 

~  
Kim and Nik sat quietly in the library. Dinner had been a little somber and no one wanted to stay up for long. The Winchesters had already gone to bed. Sam had texted Kim to meet him if she could sneak away. They had decided together to not let Dean and Nik know what was happening between them. They couldn’t really explain it themselves. All Kim knew was she enjoyed Sam’s company and felt at peace when she was with him. His kisses weren’t half bad either. Kim came out of her day dream to see that Nik had stopped writing on her latest novel and was staring at her phone screen.  
“What’s wrong?” Kim asked her sister.  
“Declan just asked me on a date,” Nik replied.  
“What? Really? Are you going to go?”  
“I don’t know. I told him we were in Kansas for a little while and he’s coming up next week. We killed his brother, Kim. Doesn’t that scream awkward to you?”  
“He doesn’t know we did. We also aren’t one hundred percent sure it was his brother. We haven’t confirmed yet,” Kim reasoned. Nik gave her a look and Kim shrugged sheepishly.  
“Do you think I should go?” Nik asked uncertainly.  
“What about Dean?” Kim blurted before she thought.  
Nik scoffed, “What about him? He’d probably be so happy to hoist me off on someone else that he’d drive me himself.” Kim kept her opinions to herself, but she’d seen the way Dean had looked when he’d ran away from the kitchen earlier. That man was smitten, even if he didn’t know it himself.  
“Maybe you should go,” Kim found herself saying.  
“Yeah, maybe. If nothing else, it’ll give me a chance to come clean.” Nik texted something back on the phone and went back to typing on the laptop. Kim went back to working on the bone spell. No matter what she did, the test subjects kept having adverse reactions. They exploded, disintegrated, or melted. She still hadn’t figured that one out yet. She waited up until Nik trudged to bed, and then she snuck to Sam’s room. She knocked quietly on the door, and he opened up a few moments later.  
She waited for him to close the door before she shared her gossip, “Declan asked Nik on a date!”  
“Wow,” he blinked, “I wonder how Dean’s going to take that.”  
“So you saw it too! He does like her, I knew it.”  
“Dean’s not great with feelings. He has a hard time expressing himself,” Sam sat on the bed and she immediately cuddled up to him.  
“I’d say. He’s practically doing everything he can to avoid her and it’s driving her extra crazy because of her cabin fever,” Kim sighed.  
“Did you make any headway on the bone spell?”  
“Not yet, but I’m determined. I’m surprised she’s lasted this long without self destructing . At least she only has four weeks to go.”  
“You can do it. It’s probably something simple. Do you think she’ll go on the date?”  
“I told her to. I don’t know what she told him though,” Kim shrugged.  
“We should go with her. I’d like to take you on a date. We can tell her it’s because we’re worried he’s seeking revenge for the death of his brother,” Sam smiled.  
“Actually, Mr. Winchester, that sounds like a good idea," Kim raised her head to his and all of her other ideas were lost in his kiss. Sam’s hands were gentle as he unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it off of her shoulders. She shrugged out of it and pulled his shirt off over his head. He stood to remove his jeans. Kim shimmied out of her shorts as he climbed back into bed. His lips brushed across her neck and she ran her hands through his hair. Sam nipped lightly and Kim shivered as he removed the remaining clothes that stood between them. He kissed her again and pulled her to him, skin to skin. Kim sighed as his hands worked magic on her body. Sam lightly circled one of her nipples with his finger, following after with his tongue. Kim squirmed as he lowered his hand and put a finger just outside of where she wanted it. She heard Sam chuckle as she gripped his hair and pulled him back to her lips. The kiss deepened as he slowly slid a finger into her welcoming heat. She returned the favor as she lightly ran her hand up his length. Soon they were both panting, Kim pulled her hand away and hooked her leg around Sam’s. She flipped him onto his back and straddled him.   
He ran his hands up her sides as she slowly lowered onto him. He let her take control and he slid his thumb over her clit. She moaned and Sam pulled her down to kiss her. Kim began to move faster as Sam grabbed her hip with his free hand and pulled her down to thrust. They set a rhythm and soon were both crying out in release. Kim collapsed on Sam and he kissed her gently on the forehead. They rolled to a more comfortable position. Kim curled into Sam as he wrapped his arms around her. She made a content sound and fell asleep quickly. Sam smiled and fell asleep, happy for the first time in a long time.


	12. Fun at the Carnival

Kim approached me the next morning with the idea of a double date. I agreed it would be nice to have back up if Declan had somehow found out about our involvement in his brother’s death. I texted him later that morning and set it up with him. We would meet Saturday in a small town about a hundred miles away from the bunker. There was a carnival going on and Kim loved that type of thing. Sam wasn’t exactly thrilled and we found out he had a clown fear. This made Kim even more determined to go. She had a weird sense of humor like that.  
Saturday arrived before I knew it. I stood in my room looking in the mirror. With the exception of my cast, I looked decent. I hadn’t been on a real date since high school so I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to wear. I had my black hair pinned up so the curls fell down my back. I was wearing a flowy green peasant shirt that matched my eyes. We were going to be walking all night so I chose jeans and tennis shoes instead of a skirt. The shirt hid the gun I had strapped to my side pretty well. Kim had done my make up because I’d never been good at it. Maybe, just maybe, Declan had no idea what had happened and was actually wanting to see me. That thought seemed strange to me. I opened the door and stepped out of the room. I almost collided with Dean.   
“Oh. Excuse me,” I said as I stepped back.   
“Wow. You look really nice,” he looked me up and down. The compliment surprised me, he’d pretty much been pretending I didn’t exist these last few weeks.   
“Thank you. I have a date. Well, not a real date since Kim thinks the guy is going to try and kill me,” I always seemed to babble around him.   
“Wait, what?” Dean demanded.   
“Oh, you didn’t know? Declan asked me out to the carnival. Kim and Sam are coming on a fake double date just in case his intentions are more murdery than we expected.”   
“How did you hear from Declan?”   
“Sam gave me his card. He said Declan had given it to him.”   
“Son of a bitch, Sam,” Dean muttered under his breath.   
“What?” I was a bit shocked at the anger in Dean’s voice.   
Dean shook his head, “This guy could be dangerous. Besides, who wants to date a monster?”   
“Why do you think he’s a monster?”   
“He’s not human, Princess. I should go too, so that you have back up.”   
“Kim and Sam are going for that exact reason.”   
“Yeah well I’m coming too.”   
“You don’t think it’ll look strange if you show up as a fifth wheel?”   
“I’ll hang back, just in case,” Dean turned and walked back towards his room. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and sighed. How did I get myself into situations like this? 

~  
“You look beautiful,” Sam told Kim as she twirled in her outfit. Kim blushed and smiled at him. She wore a pair of jeans and an off the shoulder hip length top in blue.   
“Thank you! I am so excited about tonight,” she headed to the library.   
“That makes one of us,” Sam muttered.  
“Don’t be a spoil sport, it’ll be fun,” Kim stopped in her tracks as she saw Nik and Dean waiting together.   
“Dean’s going with us,” Nik announced.   
“Well that should be all kinds of awkward,” Kim replied.   
“Not on the actual date. Just as a back up. I don’t trust the guy,” Dean clarified. Kim nodded and they all headed to the jeep. Dean argued they should take the impala, but Nik told him it wouldn’t make sense. He was expecting her to come in her own vehicle. After some grumbling Dean got in the back with Sam. Kim grabbed Nik’s arm to stop her from getting in right away.   
“Hey, I stopped working on the bone spell and did some research on the warding in the bunker. As a way to clear my head from the frustration on the bone thing. The only way the warding should have made you feel anything is if you’re what they’re trying to keep out,” Kim whispered.   
Nik’s brow furrowed, “What the hell does that mean? I’m nothing special. I think?”   
“I don’t know, but we probably need to find out before some magical artifact in the bunker sees you as a threat and explodes.” Nik nodded at Kim’s words and they agreed to check into it first thing after the date. The drive to the carnival was tense. No one really spoke and the only noise was the Bon Jovi CD Kim had started before leaving. It took a little over an hour to get to the town, and they let Dean off about twenty feet before the carnival entrance. It wouldn’t make sense for Declan to see him get out of the jeep with the others. They drove around the grass field used for parking until they saw Declan waving.   
He greeted them warmly as they got out of the jeep, even shaking Sam’s hand, “I saw you pick my card up, man. Thanks.”   
“Yeah my brother can be a bit of a hot head sometimes,” Sam laughed.   
“I noticed. Just protective of his friends I guess?” Declan looked at Nik and smiled, “Shall we go in? I’ve already got all of our tickets.”   
“For everyone? You didn’t have to do that,” Nik argued.   
“I wanted to. Tonight should be a night away from all the bad things happening right now. We need to enjoy it!” he offered his arm to Nik and she took it. Sam and Kim followed their example and they all walked into the carnival together.   
“What should we do first? Funnel cake? House of Horror? Oh, the Ferris wheel!” Kim pointed to the brightly lit wheel that turned at the edge of the carnival grounds.   
“I vote Ferris wheel and never to the House of Horror,” Sam eyed the clowns standing around the entrance of the attraction.  
“Yeah clowns creep me out,” Declan agreed. Kim laughed at them both but noticed Nik was gazing off into the distance. She followed her line of site and saw Dean leaning against a post.   
“Ferris wheel it is!” she called out, grabbing her sister’s arm and pulling her forward. Nik turned a surprised look on her and then blushed. Kim leaned over so the guys wouldn’t hear, “You’re on a date with Declan. Rich and gorgeous horse ranch owner. Not Dean. The surly bacon eating hunter.” Nik laughed, which is what Kim was going for but soon the noise of the crowd was making it hard to even think much less whisper. Kim got in her Ferris wheel bucket with Sam and watched Declan and Nik get in the one below them.   
“What do you think? Is he here for revenge?” Kim asked as she snuggled up to Sam. The October air was chilly tonight.   
“Honestly? I think he actually likes her,” Sam put his arm around her.   
“Me too. Did you see your brother scowling?”   
“That’s Dean’s normal face,” Sam laughed. Kim looked out over the fair as the wheel started turning. Tonight was going to be a good night.

~

“I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel,” I looked nervously over the side of the seat as we rose higher in the air.   
“Are you scared? You don’t strike me as the kind of person to get scared easily,” Declan smiled.  
“Normally, no, but the thought of plummeting to my death isn’t appealing.”   
“I’ll keep you safe,” he laughed. I looked over at him. His face was sincere. I didn’t think he knew that Kim and I had been responsible for the death of the kelpie. Hell, maybe his brother hadn’t been the kelpie and this was all some strange coincidence. The only way to know was to ask, and I wasn’t ready to do that yet.   
“I know it’s probably not the right place or time to ask, but how’s your family dealing with everything?” I asked.   
Declan’s smile turned sad, “Mom’s still pretty upset. Our brother, Jake, had only been back about a week when he went missing. My other brothers and I… we cut ties with him a long time ago. I guess that’s the thing about a mother’s love, though. She still worries for him.”   
“You cut ties with your brother?”   
“He had some issues. Prone to acts of violence and irrationality. We just want peace, our family has been through a lot. He refused to get help, so we kicked him out of the business. I don’t think he ever really forgave us.”   
“I don’t know what my life would be like without Kim. I couldn’t imagine the pain that must’ve caused your family,” and I sincerely meant that. Declan seemed to be a genuinely nice person.   
“Yeah but we’re not here to talk about painful things. Speaking of Kim, my brother Brett was really upset to find out she already had a date to this thing. He was hoping I could talk you into bringing her for him.”   
“Oh wow! Poor guy. He was the second youngest, right?”   
“Yep. Good memory.”   
“To be honest, I think he might be the only one I remember and that’s only because he kept making Doctor Who references.”   
“Yeah he’s a bit of a geek.”   
“Hey! If the world were full of more geeks like us it’d be a much happier place.” Declan laughed at my indignation and before I knew it the ride was over.   
“See, that wasn’t so bad. What should we do next?” he asked.   
“There’s a petting zoo!” Kim called as we caught up to them.   
“And a shooting game,” Sam pointed.   
“They’re rigged,” I scoffed.   
“Bet you a week of dinner that I can win it,” Kim narrowed her eyes at me.  
“You’re on, little sister,” we shook on it and were off to the booth. She gave the man her ticket and lined up the pellet gun with the target. Within five minutes Kim had won the giant stuffed clown behind the counter.  
“Little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun,” Kim quoted as she tormented Sam with the stuffed clown. We all laughed and headed over to get some funnel cake and drinks. As we sat at one of the many picnic tables I kept looking around the area. Every once in a while I’d catch a glimpse of Dean. We rode a few more rides before Kim finally convinced Sam to go through the House of Horror with her. Declan suggested we go through the “Lover’s maze.” It was a group of trees covered in glowing white lights. It did look kind of peaceful and not many people were in it. I’d pretty much determined Declan wasn’t going to try and kill me tonight anyway. Besides, I did have my gun and trusty silver bullets.   
Kim tried to get us to go with her to the attraction but I assured her I’d be fine. I waited until Sam had distracted Declan with something to point over my shoulder to where Dean lounged. My silent knight in armor wouldn’t be far away if I needed help. She didn’t look convinced but I winked and took Declan’s arm. Within a few moments we were entering the maze. I could at least be normal for one night. 

 

~

Kim watched Nik walk arm in arm into the maze with Declan. She didn’t relax until she saw Dean follow in a few moments later. If Nik was in trouble, she had no doubt Dean would protect her. She looked over to the House of Horror and deliberately started dragging Sam towards it. He tensed as they neared the clowns but was a good sport as they entered the building.   
“See, clowns aren’t scary!” she joked, but internally she admitted the ones here were a little creepy.   
“Dean and I had a hunt once with an evil clown. There will be no convincing me that every one of those bastards isn’t evil,” Sam argued. Kim squealed as another carnival performer came around with a chainsaw. He shook it at them but they got around him quickly. The next part was a typical mirror room, but with one main difference. There were clowns everywhere. Sam’s hand tightened on Kim’s as they stopped in the middle.   
“I’ll protect you,” she whispered, a little gleefully.   
“Yeah yeah, where’s the next room?” Sam pulled her forward. Kim laughed as he practically dragged her towards the exit. They made it out without any further clown encounters. A man on stilts walked by and blew bubbles over them from above. Kim sighed and took Sam’s arm, “This is nice.”   
“Want to go check out the maze? We can make sure Nik’s okay and enjoy ourselves at the same time,” Sam offered.   
“Sounds like a plan to me,” they headed forward together. As they passed the food court, Kim saw a discarded chicken bone on the ground and she stopped. It seemed silly but what if the main issue with the spell was the subject she was practicing on? Could it be that simple?   
“What’s up?” Sam asked as she stepped on the bone and cracked it in half.   
“Is anyone watching?”   
“The crazy lady stepping on the bone? Yeah probably,” he answered. She gave him a look and bent down to the broken bone. She muttered the words to the spell and discreetly waved her hand over it. She held her breath while it melded back together. A few seconds went by and then a full moment but it didn't melt or disintegrate.  
“Well I'll be a monkey's uncle,” she whispered, “I have to go tell her!”   
“Wait! You can't magically heal her in the middle of the carnival,” Sam reasoned.   
“True but at least she'll know.” Kim rushed towards the maze. 

~

I laughed as Declan turned around. He'd somehow managed to get us completely lost. I tugged him towards the right and we headed away from the center of the maze. We'd been in here for about fifteen minutes. We had been discussing books and I told him I was an author. I told him my pen name and he had laughed. His mom read my books. His laughter died down a little when I told him what kind of books I wrote. Then it was my turn to laugh. We made it to the exit arch and the lights were casting a glow. I reached over and ran my fingers over the bark of the nearest tree. It really was a beautiful night out.   
“You look amazing. I don't think I've told you that tonight,” Declan smiled at me. He really was a handsome man. I thanked him for his compliment. He leaned down to kiss me and for a moment I considered letting it happen. I stepped back at the last second.   
“I'm sorry, Declan. I really am. I thought maybe coming out with you was what I needed but I don't want to lead you on,” I really hated my nervous babbling.   
“It's Sam's brother isn’t it? He seemed a little protective the day I met him.”   
“Really?” I blinked but shook my head, “No, it's just that my life is a little crazy and I don't think there’s a place for romance.”  
“You're a hunter, right?” he asked. I was definitely surprised by the question and he continued, “It doesn't take much to figure it out. You show up after a strange murder, ask a lot of questions. Then my brother goes missing, you broke your arm. Pretty sure the guys you hang out with are the Winchesters. We've mostly spent our entire lives trying to avoid this exact situation.”   
“So he was the kelpie? I'm sorry, Declan.”  
“No, he brought it on himself. We would have taken care of him that night if you hadn't. We just want peaceful lives.”  
“If you're trying to avoid hunters, why did you ask me out?”   
“Because you're beautiful. That day I was showing you around, you kicked off your shoes despite the cold and waded into the water. Seeing you there with your eyes closed, just enjoying nature. I needed to know more about you.”   
“Oh,” that was the best I could come up with.   
“Can I kiss you? You might even like it better than the Winchester kisses.”   
“I've never kissed a Winchester,” I admitted. He laughed and leaned towards me again. I didn't pull back this time. Despite what I had told him, it was Dean that I had been thinking of when I stopped the kiss the first time. Dean had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me though. Maybe I did need to try and move past my weird crush. Declan's lips touched mine and I closed my eyes. It was a nice kiss. There was just nothing there.   
He pulled away and his eyes were a little sad, “Nothing, huh?”   
“I'd still very much like to be your friend,” I said hesitantly.  
“Ouch. Friendzoned.” Before I could reply Sam and Kim walked up. Kim pulled me to the side. She told me what she had discovered and we apologized to Declan. I explained that I needed to get home to fix something and he was very understanding. We went to find Dean shortly after. I expected him to be close by but he wasn't. So much for being my knight in armor.


	13. The Fun has Ended

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little short! More coming soon.

Dean watched Declan try to kiss Nik, but she stepped back. Dean felt a sense of relief. He saw a look of surprise cross Nik's face at something Declan said. He moved closer through the trees just in case Nik needed him. To his surprise, Declan laughed. Suddenly he was kissing Nik. The relief he had felt earlier vanished. Dean felt like someone had hit him in the stomach. Obviously Nik wasn't in danger from this guy, so Dean turned back to leave the way he had come. He saw Sam heading his way and ducked into one of the dead ends. He'd meet them back at the car. He headed out to the parking lot and watched the stars from the hood of the jeep. 

~ 

Sam called Dean and made sure he was okay. He told us where to find him and we all headed out of the carnival. Sam immediately started arguing with Dean about his leaving me. Kim and I tried to intervene, which is why we were distracted when the attack happened. Sam was knocked into the jeep and Dean tossed to the side. A brown haired woman stood with four men behind her. She smiled and I felt the evil flowing off of her.  
“Come quietly and we'll let the Winchesters live. For now,” she demanded.  
“Fuck you, lady,” Kim returned and pushed a spell out at them.  
“Kim! Language!” I yelled as two of our assailants were thrown back. The woman growled and pushed her hand out. Kim had been working on a shielding spell and she got it up just in time. We stayed on our feet. Sam had recovered and stabbed one of the two injured demons with an angel blade.  
“Do they just carry those around?” I asked Kim as she tossed out another spell. I pulled my gun and shot at one of the ones approaching us. It wouldn't do much but a bullet to the eye definitely slows them down. The woman grabbed her head and fell to her knees as Kim focused her energy on her. I saw Dean take out another, leaving three for us to deal with.  
“Stop killing my minions!” Evil Woman screeched as she broke through Kim's shield. Sam was close and he slashed at her with blade. She screamed as the blade cut her side. She disappeared and left her thugs to die. Sam was at Kim's side. She was weakened from the battle. Dean fought with one of the other demons but the other was quickly gaining on him. I jumped between him and Dean. It was the one I had shot in the eye. He had his own knife and was on his way to stab Dean with it, so I threw up my cast. The blade stuck in the cast and I raised my gun and shot him in the other eye. He gave an unholy scream of anger and suddenly an arm around my waist pulled me back. Dean’s other arm came forward and plunged the angel blade through the demon’s neck.  
“Thanks,” I breathed. His arm was still around me.  
“Yeah,” he let me go and cleaned the blade on the demon.  
“Who the hell was she?” Sam demanded as he held Kim up.  
“Another of Stone’s colleagues, I imagine,” I huffed as we got into the jeep. As loud as the carnival was, someone had to have heard those shots. Kim took a deep breath and lowered the bodies the same way she had the Kelpie, and then she slumped into Sam’s arms. He helped her into the back and Dean jumped upfront with me. We pulled out and headed home. 

~

“Clint!” Leslie called as she collapsed in their home. He came into the room and lifted her easily.  
“What happened?” he demanded as he checked her wound.  
“The damn Winchesters and their angel blades. They killed the others. I failed,” Leslie gasped in pain. Clint took the poker from the fire place and shoved it in the fire.  
“No, it wasn’t your fault. When we get them, I’ll let you kill the Winchesters. Slowly.” He waited until the poker was hot, and then he pulled it out and sealed her wound. She screamed and he clenched his teeth. Had they found the girls already, the bonds would have been broken and he could have healed this easily. As it was, this was the best he could do.


	14. Wait, a what?

We reached the bunker and we all trudged in. It had been a long night, and a long drive. We all went straight to bed, agreeing to do the healing spell the next day. Kim needed rest and I honestly didn’t feel like processing everything that had happened. I slept fitfully. My nightmares were full of demons and kelpies. I woke up to the smell of bacon. I walked into the kitchen to find Kim cooking.  
“Coffee?” I moaned.  
“On the counter,” she pointed. I poured a cup and added my favorite creamer and a lot of sugar. Sooner than I liked, breakfast was over and it was time to heal my arm. Kim recruited Dean and Sam to hold me down. She had warned that the bone was literally going to be reknitting itself together. When I asked if it was going to hurt her reply had been, “It isn’t going to tickle.” I laid my arm on the table and Dean took my good hand in his. He placed his other hand on my shoulder. Sam took the other side. Kim stood across the table. I nodded to her and she began the spell. White hot pain shot through my arm a few seconds later. Had the boys not been holding me I probably would have been on the floor.  
I could feel every nerve in that arm and I was pretty sure they were exploding. Dean’s hand tightened on mine, even though I’m sure I was cutting off his circulation. A few moments later Kim stopped speaking and slowly I became aware of my surroundings. Sam patted me on the shoulder and asked if I was alright. Dean still held my hand and I nodded to them both.  
“Next time, I’ll just let the bone heal naturally,” I gave a shaky laugh. I turned to Kim, “Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy learning this and trying to get it right.”  
“Now we have to get the cast cut off,” Sam headed to one of the rooms full of items. He came back with a saw and within minutes my arm was free. I flexed my fist and everything seemed normal.  
“Want to go spar in the gym? See if you’re rusty,” Kim laughed. Dean headed to the garage as the rest of us went to the gym. Soon Kim and Sam were taking turns fighting me. My arm was still weak but with a little training it would be fine. So we kept going. 

~

A scream of frustration filled the silence of the garage, “Curse you, you fucking ent!” Dean looked up from the tune up he was doing on Baby. Sam's laughter could be heard in response and Kim's mirth filled, “Language!” quickly followed. Dean wiped his hands on a towel and went to see what was going on. Nik had Sam's arm over her shoulder and she was trying to flip him onto his back. He was too tall and she was struggling. Finally, out of pure frustration, she was able to flip him. He laid there laughing as she huffed in anger.  
“Maybe you can teach her how to stop being so reckless while you're at it,” Dean suggested.  
“Sorry?” Nik asked as everyone else went quiet.  
“First the kelpie, then you jumped in front of that demon. It's like you have a death wish,” he explained.  
“I saved your life, he was coming right for you,” she argued.  
“Yeah, well, no one asked you to. I sure as hell didn't,” Dean turned and went back to the garage. Why was he provoking her? He grabbed the wrench and went back to work on Baby. Being around her made his mind go blank. He needed to focus. 

~  
“Don't do anything you'll regret,” Kim called as I headed to the garage. I ignored her and walked in to see Dean under the hood of the impala. I walked over to the car and confronted him, “What the hell is your problem?”  
“I don’t have a problem,” he answered.  
“Obviously you do! Everything I do pisses you off. If you don't want me here all you have to do is tell me. I'd rather know you don't like me, at least then I could stop walking on eggshells around you.”  
Dean threw the wrench and it clattered against the wall, “Of course I like you. I like you to damn much. Do you have any idea what seeing you in that hospital did to me? Then you let Richie Rich kiss you, and after that you jump in front of a damn demon! To save me, of all people. Like I deserve that after all the shit I’ve done. You could have died because of me. I've lost so many people. Almost everyone I've ever loved has been taken from me. I've even lost Sam a time or two. If I let myself get close to you... there's a good chance I'll lose you too. It would be easy to get close. Losing you wouldn't be so easy. I can't think around you, damn it.”  
I leaned back against the impala, feeling shell shocked, “Why didn't you just say something?”  
“It doesn't matter. Wouldn't want to ruin what you have with Declan,” he stood in front if me and crossed his arms. Almost like he was preparing for a blow.  
“I told Declan I didn't want him.”  
“What?”  
“He went home. There's nothing between Declan and I. He said he knew I had feelings for you and he was right.” Dean looked me in the eyes and we stood there silent. A lot of confessions had just been made and neither of us were used to spilling this much information. For a second no one moved. I saw the decision in Dean's eyes a split second before he took my face in his hands and his lips touched mine. This kiss was not at all like the one I had shared with Declan. Dean wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me up. My legs went around his hips and my back hit the impala. I shivered as his hands went under my shirt and he touched bare skin. I grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled it up. He stopped kissing me just long enough for me to pull the shirt over his head. Then his mouth was back on mine.  
“Dean. Why are you kissing that elemental?” a new voice interrupted. Dean pulled away from me and sat me back down on my feet. He stood in front of me as I readjusted my shirt.  
“Damn it, Cas. You're supposed to call or announce yourself or something!” Dean complained.  
“What did you call me?” I asked as I stepped around Dean.  
“An elemental,” he answered as if that explained everything. Dean put his shirt back on and introduced me to Cas.  
“What is an elemental?” I asked him.  
He opened his mouth to reply but Dean stopped him, “Maybe we should go back in, I have a feeling we aren't going to want and discuss this twice.” Dean turned and headed back into the main part of the bunker. Cas and I followed him to the library where Sam and Kim were checking on a spell she was practicing.  
“Cas! Where have you been?” Sam greeted the angel.  
“I had some things that I had to take care of elsewhere,” his answer was vague but I spoke up before anyone could ask him about it.  
“Why did you call me an elemental?”  
“Because that's what you are.”  
“Okay,” Dean sighed, “Let's back up. What is an elemental?”  
“To make it simple, they are heavenly beings that control the elements of earth. Natural disasters, floods, weather. It's all under the jurisdiction of the elementals,” Cas motioned to me.  
“That's not possible. I've never had any control over that,” I shook my head.  
“Your binding may not have been removed properly.”  
“Binding?” Kim asked.  
“Younger elementals are emotional. Their powers are bound until they show enough maturity to handle the duties.”  
“How is the binding removed?” Kim continued.  
“There is no binding. He's mistaken!” I told her. This entire conversation was freaking me out.  
“I assure you I am not. The binding is removed by an angel,” Cas explained.  
“So you could remove it?” Sam inquired.  
“If I knew where it was, yes. Do you perhaps have a birthmark or strange scar?”  
“She has one on her lower back,” Kim turned me around and pointed to a spot a little lower than a tramp stamp.  
“Yes. That would be about right. May I see it?”  
“Absolutely not,” Dean intervened.  
“Thank you! No one is looking at anything because this is insane,” as I spoke Kim pulled up the back of my shirt and Cas leaned over to look. I pulled away from her and snatched my shirt back down. The damage was done however. Cas announced to everyone that it was, in fact, a binding mark.  
“So what now? How is this done?” Sam asked.  
“Normally in Heaven. If we are going to do it here then it's best to do it outside. She'll need to feel the elements at first, and there will be wind,” they spoke as if I wasn't here.  
“Who says I want it removed?” I demanded.  
“Nik,” Kim gave me a sympathetic look, “This could be a clue as to why we're being hunted.”  
“Which is even more reason to forget about it!”  
“Elementals are very powerful. If you are being hunted, having your powers unbound would help you protect yourself,” Cas reasoned.  
“You should do it,” Dean told me. His face was serious.  
“You too? Thought you might be on my side,” I clenched my teeth and tried to fight the tears that I felt coming. Irrationally I felt like everyone was against me.  
“If this gives you an edge against this asshole Stone, you should do it,” Dean repeated. I looked at him for a good moment before turning to my sister. She and Sam both nodded their agreement.  
“Fine. Let's do this,” I turned and led the way up the stairs and out into the cool air. I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself. Things were starting to make sense and I didn't really like it. The orphanage not having birth records, the itch on my skin when I entered the bunker, the demons hunting us even now. That meant that in some weird way all of this was my fault.  
“Are you ready?” Castiel asked me. I nodded to him and closed my eyes. I felt him lift my shirt and lightly touch my birthmark. There was no going back now.


	15. Elemental Emotions

Dean watched Cas touch the birthmark on Nik's back and she stiffened. Her eyes shot open and she looked at him. They were glowing an emerald green. The wind picked up as Cas had predicted and soon Dean was forced to shield his face against the debris. He squinted and watched as Nik was lifted above the ground. Lightning struck near by and rain started falling. The sky had been clear moments before.  
“Is this supposed to happen?” Kim yelled over the wind.  
“This is common, from what I understand,” Cas nodded.  
“From what you understand?” Sam replied as he leaned over Kim to shield her.  
“I have never actually been present for one. It wasn't part of my duties.”  
“You've never done this before?” Dean yelled angrily.  
Suddenly the wind and rain started to slow and Nik lowered back to the ground. Kim took a step towards her sister, “Nik?”  
“I need to go,” Nik said to herself.  
“Go where?” Dean would take her wherever she needed.  
“Anywhere but here.”  
“You have that ability now. Here, I'll show you,” Cas put his hand on Nik's shoulder and they disappeared together.  
“What the hell, Cas?” Dean yelled into the air. 

~  
“Where are we?” I asked as I looked around at the crystal clear lake and trees that surrounded us, “Is that a mountain?”  
“Yes. I brought you to the Rocky Mountains. It's a peaceful area. Are you calm now?” Cas politely inquired.  
“I don't know if I'd say calm, but better. No one listened to what I said back there!” I kicked a rock into the lake but a loud rumble caused me to look up. An avalanche went sliding down the mountain ahead of us.  
“The area is reacting to your emotions. I will check to see if any humans were injured. One moment,” he disappeared and my mouth fell in shock. I caused the avalanche? Cas returned a moment later to let me know all was well. I was very glad I hadn't accidentally murdered someone.  
“It seems we should stay isolated until you can control your abilities. Clear your mind and tell me what you feel,” Cas demanded.  
I closed my eyes and took a moment to push all the hurt and anger out of my mind. Suddenly little things were starting to make themselves known to me. The earth told me where Cas was, his angel aura made an impression. The wind caressed my face in welcome. The water called to me and I wanted nothing more than to swim, “I can feel everything. It's like it's speaking to me. I can tell you how many fish are in the water. The trees tell me how many hungry birds there are. This is absolutely insane.”  
“Your mental health has nothing to do with this. It was just the way you were born.”  
“Thank you, Captain Literal,” I turned to him and clapped my hands, “Alright Sensei, what are we learning first?”  
“You can control fire, earth, water, and wind. Eventually you'll be able to conjure all of them, but for now let's work on command. Which would you like to start with first?”  
“Wind seems easy enough, right?” Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad. If I could master these powers then I had a real chance at fixing everything. Cas took a large branch from the nearest tree, I winced as I felt the pain the tree was in.  
“Could you not have gotten one of the dead ones on the ground?” I demanded.  
“I apologize. I didn't realize how deep your connection to the earth was. Push the branch across the water with a breeze,” he laid the branch in the water.  
“I can do that,” I inhaled and put my mind to pushing the branch with a gust of wind. My mind went back to the way Dean had looked right after Cas had removed my mark. He'd looked worried. For me. I remembered the way he’d kissed me in the garage. His lips had been demanding on mine and I lost myself in that memory.  
“Elemental!” Cas barked and I looked up to see the wind circling over the water at a terrifyingly fast speed. I had created a water spout. I immediately put all of my concentration into stilling the winds. It died back down and I looked sheepishly at Cas.  
“You must learn to control your thoughts. Distraction is destruction. What were you thinking of?”  
“Nothing important,” I blushed, “And my name is Nik. Not Elemental.”  
“My apologies. Whatever the thought, it was obviously not what you needed. Let's focus on something more calm,” he suggested. I took a moment to compose myself as Cas tossed a dead branch into the water. The original branch was no longer in sight. I looked at the branch and imagined the summers before the night that had changed everything. Carefree and simple, I'd had my entire life ahead of me. This calmed me down enough to focus.  
I thought about the cool breeze of fall and projected that thought towards the branch. It pushed across the water like it was propelled. I took a moment to celebrate internally and then looked at Cas, “What's next?”  
He tossed a branch in, “Again.”  
“I just did that.”  
“It took you ten minutes. You will do it until it's just a thought,” he answered. We worked on it until the sky darkened and I was able to gently send a branch further into the lake with barely a thought. Cas made a fire and we sat down to rest.  
“I should probably call my sister. Let them know we didn't vanish from the earth. My phone is back in my room though. Is there a town anywhere near here?” I looked over to the angel.  
“Here you can use mine. Dean makes me keep it for emergencies,” he handed me a cell phone. The only two contacts were Sam and Dean. I hovered over Dean's name for a second. He would want to know we were safe, right? I used the dial pad and called my sister.  
She answered immediately, “Hello?”  
“Hey, it's me. I just wanted to let you know I’m okay,” I told her  
“Hold on!” I heard some noise and then she told someone it was me. I could hear all of them suddenly, she must have put me on speaker.  
“Where are you?” Dean demanded.  
“With Cas.”  
“Okay, but where?” Kim sounded exasperated.  
“We're fine. He's helping me learn how to control this,” I didn't want them here. That thought shocked me a little but I realized I needed this time to myself.  
“You can do that here. Where you'll be safe,” Dean tried to reason.  
“I will be safe. Don't forget that this is what you all wanted. I'll call you when we’re headed back,” I hung up the phone and handed it back to Cas.  
“They care for you. They just wanted to make sure you knew,” Cas explained.  
“Yeah, I know. I'm just having trouble processing this. I spent my entire life thinking I was human. Then in the span of fifteen minutes that all changed. Not one of them stopped to think I may not want this. Logically, I know this raises our chances of winning the war. Illogically, I'm scared of this and the people that I trusted the most, the ones I love, basically wanted me to jump off a bridge. That’ll mess with the psyche a little. And here I am, spilling my emotions to an Angel that I barely know. How crazy has my life become?" I looked into the flames as I spoke. Cas had said I could control fire. I reached out and pulled the flame toward me. A little tendril wrapped around my hand. It was warm but it didn't hurt. I could feel the happiness from the flame. Like a puppy playing with it's owner. It twirled and danced around my hand. I sent it back into the campfire and laid back to look at the stars.  
“Your mastery of the elements is impressive. You will be very powerful when you learn to control it,” Cas mused. I didn’t answer him. All I wanted was to be back in the bunker. I kept thinking about Dean and what would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted. My author's brain was going crazy with the possibilities. I fell asleep thinking of Dean.


	16. Training Montage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait I have been sick!

All three of the hunters watched the phone like it was a bomb that could go off any second. Kim tossed the phone onto the table and sank down into the chair, “What if she doesn't come back?”  
“I'll find her,” Dean replied instantly.  
“Guys, come on. She's probably just having fun with Cas. They'll be back!” Sam took Kim's hand to comfort her.  
“She said she's okay, right? I thought having him unlock her powers was the right thing to do. It seemed like it to me. Now I'm not sure anymore,” Kim put a hand over her eyes.  
“It was the right thing to do,” Dean headed over to the whisky supply he kept in the library. He poured a glass and downed it quickly.  
“It's good that she's taking this time to learn. She needs to know about this part of herself, learn what this means for her,” Sam offered to the others.  
“I can’t protect her if I'm not there with her,” Dean filled up his glass again.  
“She can protect herself. That's what she's doing. She'll come back. I think she knows this is for the best, but we didn't take into account how she felt. So she's protecting herself from us,” Kim's voice was sad and Sam wrapped her in a hug. Dean walked away to let them have their moment. Kim was right. They hadn't stopped to think and rationalize. Nik had this giant secret thrust upon her and all they did was pressure her.  
Was she really thinking about not coming back? He took out his phone and texted Cas, “Nik. I'm sorry. Come home.” Dean went to his room and let his whisky fueled thoughts of Nik, and her lips, take him to sleep.  
   
   
 

~  
Sam handed Kim a mug of tea and closed the door to the bedroom, “Dean's already asleep, I think.”  
“Do you think she hates me?” Kim asked as she sipped on the tea. Sam had thought it might calm her nerves.  
“No, I think she just has a lot going on right now. The elemental discovery, Dean and whatever the hell is going on with them. I think Cas will keep her safe. She'll learn a lot about herself too. You need to stop worrying.”  
“Yeah. Yeah, you're right. She doesn't even have her phone though,” Kim put the tea down and pushed the blanket down for Sam to get next to her.  
“Is that my shirt?” he smiled.  
“Oh, yes sorry! I went to the shower and forgot to grab clothes from my room. Is this okay?”  
“More than okay,” he climbed into bed next to her. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close. He wished he knew what to say to make it better. They’d just have to trust Nik could figure it out on her own.

~  
“This was meant for you,” Cas handed me his phone and I looked down at the screen. Dean’s text hit me hard. “I will soon,” I texted back and handed Cas his phone. After a night of sleeping on the hard ground I definitely missed my bed. I missed my sister getting onto me for my bad language. I missed Sam’s uplifting silly motivational moments. I missed Dean. I shook my head and looked at Cas.  
“Let’s move forward! More wind today?” I looked up into the still leaves and imagined a breeze. Immediately the branches started to sway and the breeze swirled around us.  
“You seem to be doing well there. We’ll practice more later. Let’s work on earth,” Cas pointed to the mountain across the lake.  
“Are we sure that’s a good idea? I did create an avalanche yesterday.”  
“You need to learn so it doesn’t happen again. Do you remember what I showed you yesterday? The teleportation.” I nodded and pictured myself on the other end of the lake. I felt something twinge in my back and suddenly I was standing in front of the mountain. My head swam for a second and I sat quickly as Cas appeared next to me.  
“My apologies, I forgot you’re not used to having wings. It’ll get easier.”  
“Wings?” my voice was a little squeaky.  
“Yes, you’re practically a lesser angel. You have wings now,” he helped me stand and get my feet back under me.  
“I’m really going to have to get used to the way you explain things. Like having wings is just no big deal,” I looked over my shoulder. My back looked the same. Cas didn’t give me time to ask questions.  
“The earth is the most dangerous of the elements. As you experienced with the avalanche. Fire destroys but it can be extinguished. The earth is almost unstoppable once something happens. Don’t let anything happen,” he stepped back and nodded to the sheer mountain face ahead of me. What could I do that wouldn’t cause a catastrophic event? I began to push the rock in at spots, making hand and foot holds. I walked over and began to climb the path I’d made for myself. Soon I was sweating with the effort. This was not as easy as commanding the wind. It felt like I was physically pushing the rock in with each dent.  
I made the mistake of looking down. Cas was still on the grass below. Far, far below. I looked to my left and willed a part of the mountain to inch out. It made a little ledge and I stepped off onto it. I dusted off my hands and surveyed my work. I was feeling a little proud of myself when I heard a yell. To the right, about a mile away, there were two climbers. One’s gear had broken and he was hanging by a quickly fraying rope. The woman with him was screaming and trying to get to him in time to save him.  
I pushed a hand out and the earth shuddered in response. It made a spike below him, and he was able to put one foot on and slow his fall. It was a slim spike and I could see it was already starting to crumble. I clenched my teeth and concentrated, forming another ledge. This time I was able to do it completely as his rope broke. He landed on his knees, but was unharmed.  
“Thank God,” he yelled, collapsing onto his back and collecting himself. I sank down myself and took a shaky breath. Cas appeared on the ledge next to me, “That was well done.” I gave him a thumbs up but kept my eyes closed. I really didn’t enjoy heights. I had been so focused on making the handholds I hadn’t realized how far I’d gotten. I imagined myself back on the soft grass and soon that’s where I was sitting. It was a good thing I hadn’t eaten anything yet, because when Cas appeared again I was heaving up everything in my stomach.  
“Shall we move onto water?” he asked. I glared at him and stood to walk to the lake, “If I can do this quickly, we get to go home?”  
“If that’s what you wish,” he agreed easily. I looked into the calm water. I knew it was going to be cold. I knew it was probably a dumb idea. I was good at having fantastically dumb ideas. I took a deep breath and jumped in. It was cold, being the Rocky Mountains this close to November. I broke the surface and took a deep breath of air. I again visualized what I wanted to do, relaxing to float on my back. I used the water to push me back up, and held myself standing above the water line. The water flowed around me in little waves. It swirled in a circle around me, a smaller version of the water spout from the night before. I raised my hands and it rose with them. Cas was standing on the shore, not very far away. I pointed to the angel, and the water heeded me. Soon he was as soaked as me. His expression did not change.  
I dove back down and swam to shore, the water propelling me on its own. I had never realized how many feelings the elements could convey. Amusement, pain, happiness, anger. It was amazing the things being human had kept from me. I climbed onto the shore and smiled at Cas, “That’s all four. Unless you want to do more with fire.”  
“I am slightly concerned this all came so easily to you. You know nothing of your parents?” Cas looked at me.  
“Nope. I had been at the orphanage for as long as I could remember. Then Kim and I were adopted. Those were the only parents I’ve ever known,” I called on the wind to help dry us both and soon I was shivering. “Let’s go home! I need coffee and a shower,” I thought of my bed in the bunker and soon I was swaying on my feet in my bedroom. I took a moment to make sure I wasn’t going to toss my cookies again and then gathered some clean clothes. I knocked on my sister’s door and called her phone when there was no answer. I could hear the ring coming from down the hall, and I followed the sound as I waited for her to answer.  
Sam’s door opened as she picked up and I watched her walk out. She saw me before she could say hello and she hung up the phone. A shirtless Sam walked out of the room and that’s when I noticed Kim was wearing one of Sam’s shirts. I began to smile as she blushed. Looks like I wasn’t the only one wanting a Winchester.  
“Nik! You’re back!” she ran over and hugged me, immediately pulling back, “You smell strange.”  
“I went for a swim in a lake after climbing a mountain. What you’re smelling is sweat and victory,” I smiled at her and Sam, “I’m going to go take a shower and then we’ll talk.” I ran to the showers and got cleaned up pretty quickly. As soon as I was done getting dressed I went into the library to find Sam and Kim.  
“Where’s Dean?” I asked as I accepted a cup of coffee from Kim. She knew me so well.  
“Not sure, haven’t seen him since last night. So what happened? Is everything okay? Are you okay?” Sam asked.  
“Yes. I apologize for my emotional outburst. It is very unlike me,” I told him.  
“Oh no, you sound like Cas,” he moaned. I laughed but looked back towards the rooms. Where was Dean?


	17. We got a case!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence, life has a way of happening and keeping me from completing things! But here is another chapter for you!

“Dean,” Cas appeared as Dean pulled on his shirt.   
“Cas! Where is Nik? Is she okay?” he went towards the door.   
“Yes, she is fine. Dean, I don’t think she’s just an elemental. There’s something more to her. It could be dangerous.”   
“What are you saying, Cas?” Dean demanded.   
“You should keep a close eye on her,” Cas said apologetically. Dean nodded and opened the door. He headed out to the library and heard Cas following him. Nik was standing with her back to him, laughing at something Sam had said. He walked into the library and she turned to face him. He smiled at her, and she returned it. Then Cas walked between them and Kim asked what had happened. He sat at the table to listen to Nik’s short adventure. 

~  
“And then everyone clapped and I was praised as a hero,” I lied as I finished my coffee.   
“That isn’t what happened,” Cas disagreed.   
“Well, not exactly. I did save his life though,” I laughed. Dean sat staring at me from across the table. It was so hard to tell what he was thinking. I wanted to ask him but I had a feeling that was a discussion better left for when we were alone.   
Sam's phone rang before I could talk to Dean. It was Garth and, he had a case for us. Sam put him on speaker and he explained a museum was opening in Texas. Four of the people involved in the opening had already died. All four had been found hanging in the museum.   
“Alright,” Dean stood after Sam hung up, “Let's suit up.” We all watched as he headed to pack up his gear.   
“Wait, does he think he's Stephen Amell? Are we Team Arrow?” I asked Kim.   
“Does that make you Felicity?” she grinned.   
“I think it means Sam is John Diggle,” I answered.  
“Oh, that makes me Lyla! Cas can be Speedy!” She laughed.  
Sam shook his head, “You guys are strange.” We all laughed and headed to pack our bags. Cas waited patiently as we all filed into the garage. We agreed to go in both cars so that Cas could ride with the boys. We followed Dean, stopping twice for gas and coffee.   
“I'm sorry,” I told Kim as I got back into the jeep a second time.   
“What?” she looked up from the spell book she was studying .  
“For bailing like I did. There were a lot of feelings and you know I'm not good with that.”  
“It's okay, you came back. Dean was all kinds of upset though.”  
“Really? What do you mean?” I tried to act nonchalant.  
“Don't act like you don't know. What happened in the garage, by the way?”   
“Not as much as I wanted, I'll tell you that,” I said as I watched Dean pumping gas.   
“Nik!” Kim laughed as Dean turned to look at us. I blushed and he grinned a little. Suddenly I was eager to get this hunt over with so we could pick up where we had left off. He climbed back into the car and fired up the impala. We pulled out behind them and continued towards Dallas. 

~

“What are you saying?” Sam asked Cas as he repeated what he'd told Dean.  
“She was able to master her abilities in a little over a day. That is very quick,” Cas explained.  
“So she's smart. End of discussion,” Dean shrugged.  
“Dean, you have to be ready for the eventuality that she is something else!” Cas argued.  
“What else could she be?” Sam demanded.   
“The elementals were often paired with angels to make the offspring stronger. Some elementals also defected and had offspring with demons. That would make more sense , seeing as how she was abandoned on earth and not raised in Heaven. Someone was trying to hide her,” Cas told them.  
“Are you saying she could be half demon?” Dean gripped the steering wheel.   
“I'm saying we should be prepared for anything.” They were silent as they pulled up to a red light in town.  
“Should we tell her?” Sam inquired.   
“Her emotional state is fragile right now. I told you, her kind are temperamental. Now that she is unbound there is no way to know how she will react. We could make the situation worse,” Cas shook his head. Dean stayed silent and looked in his rearview to see Kim and Nik laughing. No matter what happened, Dean knew Nik didn't have it in her to go to the dark side. He would just have to help Cas see it too. 

~  
Kim zipped up my green dress and then turned so I could zip up her blue one. We faced each other to fix any imperfections. My dress was velvet and hugged my curves. The long sleeves flared at the end and the slit went up to my thigh. Her dress was sleeveless and widened at the waist to flow elegantly down her legs. The color faded from blue to white at the bottom and she had a white shawl to cover her arms.   
We had gone out to buy the dresses earlier after we had learned about the history of the area. Sam and Kim had determined we were dealing with a vengeful spirit.   
“She was taken to the town square, the area the museum is being built, and hanged for the murder of her husband. Later they determined it wasn't her, but the damage had been done,” Sam had told us.   
“Where was she buried?” I asked him.  
“Her body was burned,” Kim answered as she looked over his shoulder.  
“Of course it was,” Dean sighed as he loaded his shotgun.   
“Her amulet is one of the main attractions in this museum tonight,” Kim mentioned. Kim and I had left shortly after to get the dresses. The boys had gone to get the tickets to the opening. We were meeting them at the museum.   
“What do you think?” Kim twirled and her skirt twirled with her.   
“I think we're damn hot,” I looked at myself in the mirror. I would finally get a chance to talk to Dean alone tonight. Kim and I headed out to the jeep. It was time to meet the boys.


	18. Ghost of a scorned woman

“Do you think what Cas said is true?” Sam asked as they waited on the steps of the museum.  
“No. How could it be? There's nothing evil about her,” Dean answered. Cas had left again before they could talk about it further. He was going to try and find Nik's biological parents. Sam nodded but didn't reply as the girls pulled up to the valet. Dean and Sam met them at the car, offering them their arms after opening the doors. Dean took in Nik's appearance. The dress complimented her eyes. She smiled shyly at him.  
“You look fantastic, Princess” he smiled back.   
“You clean up pretty well yourself, Winchester,” she answered as they approached Kim and Sam on the steps.   
“You look nice, too" Dean told Kim politely.   
“She looks amazing,” Sam corrected. Dean nodded and they all walked to the entrance together. He held the door as the girls went in, wondering if he should tell Nik what Cas had said.

~

“Oh there's dancing,” Kim led Sam away towards the temporary dance floor in the middle of the room.   
“There's the bar,” I pointed to the other end of the room.   
“Thank God,” Dean muttered as we headed over. He ordered a whisky but I shook my head when he offered me a drink, “I learned my lesson last time.”   
“Fair enough,” he took a drink of his and we turned to watch the couples on the dance floor.   
“This is so normal that it's weird. So many things have happened these last few months,” I thought aloud.   
“Normal? We're here ghost hunting,” Dean answered.  
“The people here don't know that. To them it's just a date night. Must be nice, not being weird.”   
“You aren't weird,” Dean scoffed.  
“Well, I'm not normal,” I smiled at him but he didn't smile back, “What's up, Winchester? You have your angry face on.”  
“I don't have an angry face,” he argued. I raised my eyebrow at him and waited. “Cas thinks you might be something more than an elemental,” he finally answered.   
“More how? I don't understand.”  
“He thinks you might be part angel. Or part demon.”   
“Well, son of a bitch,” I breathed.   
“We obviously don't know yet, but he thought it would be a good idea to try and find your biological parents. That's where he is now. Confirming,” he paused and made a face, “whatever it is you are.” He drank the rest of the whisky and the bartender poured him another.   
Suddenly his silence at the bunker made sense. He thought I was a monster now. I had thought getting him alone was the best thing. Now I knew he was just waiting to tell me the bad news.   
“Whatever I am. I see,” I looked over to my right. We had identified the curator earlier and he was standing to the side, “I'll go ask about the necklace.”   
“Nik, wait,” Dean said.  
I shook my head, “It's okay, who wants to be with a monster right?” I tossed his words about Declan back to him as I walked away. The curator accepted my invitation to dance easily, and we were on the floor before I could register my emotions. I knew that I needed to calm down, but my brain didn't want to hear that.   
I listened with one ear as the curator told me about the necklace. A great find donated by the county. He told me about the sad history of the woman, but suddenly he stopped talking. Dean's hand was on his shoulder, “I believe this dance is mine.”   
“The young lady and I were discussing…” the curator began, but Dean cut him off, “I need to speak to my date. I'm cutting in.” The curator huffed but relinquished his hold on me. Dean took his place and we danced.   
“What are you doing?” I hissed as he spun me around the floor.   
“What am I doing? What about you? Why the hell did you walk away?” he demanded.   
“Because there was nothing else to say,” I pulled him to the right as we almost collided with another couple. He was a terrible dancer.   
“Of course there's more to say. What did you mean with the monster comment?”   
“You said no one would want to date a monster, remember? Before my date with Declan?”   
“Are you saying that I think you're a monster?”   
“Don't you?” I sighed and guided him off the dance floor. We were very likely to hurt someone if we stayed, “You made this face like the thought of me disgusted you!”   
“I made a face because we don't know what we're dealing with and I can't keep you safe if something goes wrong!” his voice got a little loud and I smiled at the people staring at us. I took his hand and we left the main area. I looked for somewhere quiet but suddenly Dean pulled me down the hall. He opened a door and we walked inside. It was a small theater, a screen on one end and seats in a half moon shape on the other. I heard Dean lock the door as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.  
Dean came to stand before me and took a deep breath, “There is nothing about you that disgusts me.”   
I stood there for a second, “Why didn't you tell me at the bunker?”   
“Cas hadn't told me everything yet and I wasn't sure if you were still mad about the unbinding.”   
“What the hell, Winchester? You could’ve said something!”   
“Damn it, woman, you are annoying,” he pulled me close and his lips took mine.  
“Me?” I demanded as the kiss ended, “You're the one keeping secrets!” He didn't have a chance to respond because someone chose that moment to try and open the door.   
“That's weird, it shouldn't be locked,” there was the sound of keys jingling. Dean sat in one of the theater seats and tugged me down onto his lap.   
“Pretend you're asleep,” he whispered as the doors opened and light filled the room. I laid my head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around me.   
“Sir? You aren't supposed to be here without a tour guide,” the voice from outside told Dean.   
“Yeah, I'm sorry. My wife wasn't feeling well and I thought somewhere quiet would be better for her. Honey, wake up we're interrupting the tour,” Dean nudged me and I looked up at the guide.   
“I'm so sorry. I just had this terrible headache,” I winced and saw Kim heading to us.  
“There you are. Is it the migraines again? I have some medicine in my clutch,” she helped me stand and Dean stood to put an arm around me.   
“Let's get you home,” he said.  
“Oh, can we finish the tour? Please?” I batted my eyelashes.   
“Can we join your tour? My sister-in-law has my wife's medicine. She should be fine soon,” Dean smiled at the woman and she blushed.   
“Of course two more shouldn't hurt,” she agreed easily. We lined up with Sam and Kim, she handed me two mints and I tossed them into my mouth for appearances.   
Dean leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Next time I get you alone there won't be any interruptions.” I shivered at the promise in his voice. The guide showed everyone the theater and we followed her into the exhibit area. We stopped at each piece and learned the history. Dean took my hand in his and for a while I pretended it was just a nice evening. We waited for the tour to get underway and the tour guide to get distracted. We snuck back into the room with the necklace.   
Sam opened the panel on the pedestal and disconnected the alarm. I took out the necklace and we headed down to the basement. Spirits always tried to stop us from destroying their tie to the living world. We didn't need anyone walking in on that.   
Sam pulled a lighter out of his pocket, “Ready?” We all nodded and he put the amulet in the trash can I had stolen from the restroom. Kim tossed in some salt and Dean added the lighter fluid. Sam lit a piece of paper and went to toss it in the trash can. The spirit was not happy with this chain of events.   
She appeared above us and the flame extinguished. Sam and Kim were tossed back. Kim hit her head on the wall and slumped down. Sam crawled over to her as the ghost turned to us. Dean had grabbed the lighter and was attempting to light the paper. She came right for us. I jumped in front of Dean but he pushed me to the side. The ghost hit him head on but then she disappeared.  
“Dean?” Sam called out. He stood after putting his jacket under Kim's head. Dean didn't move for a second. I got up and walked to him. His pupils were white.   
“Shit,” I cursed right before Dean backhanded me. I hit a table and went down hard. Sam ran to his brother and Dean, or rather the ghost possessing Dean, swung at Sam. Sam ducked and tackled Dean around the waist. Sam struggled to hold him but soon ghost Dean tossed Sam to the ground and I limped over. I kicked the back of Dean's leg and he went down to a knee. Sam took his arm and pulled it to his back, but the ghost threw us both back with some sort of psychic blast.   
I groaned as I looked up to see Dean standing on a table at the back of the basement. He had a chain around his neck. The chain was attached to the ceiling. I crawled to my knees and made it to my feet. I got to the table just as Dean jumped off. I caught him and was able to hold him up just enough to keep the chain from killing him.  
“Son of a bitch, Winchester, you are heavy,” I huffed, “Sam! Light her up!” I planted my feet and opened my senses. The stone beneath my feet offered some strength and I pulled from it. Holding Dean became easier as the stone fed me energy and I looked over my shoulder. Sam couldn't get the lighter to flare. I focused some of the extra energy on the lighter and the flame jumped to life.   
Sam tossed the entire thing into the can and it ignited. The ghost flew out of Dean and he immediately grabbed the chain. He was able to get it off his neck and we both went crashing to the ground. We watched as the ghost disappeared in flames, screeching the entire time.


	19. Feels Like the Very First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bow Chicka Wow wow

I untangled myself from Dean and ran to where Kim was waking up. “I missed the whole thing?” she asked. Her eyes were a little unfocused but otherwise she looked fine.   
“Yes, and we need to get out of here before someone notices the necklace is gone,” Sam helped her stand and we found a back way out of the basement. We waited across the street as the boys went to get the cars. A few moments later Sam and Kim followed Dean and I back to the hotel. I don't know how Sam ended up driving the jeep, but I didn't mind riding in the Impala.   
We got back to the motel, packed up and left town. We stopped a few hours later at a new motel. Sam and Dean went to get the keys for the rooms. Kim went to grab her bag and hand me the key but Dean called out to her. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow.  
“Do you need your sister for anything tonight?” he asked.   
“No?” she answered with a confused look.   
“Good,” he then tossed me over his shoulder, opened the door to his room and closed it in Sam and Kim's faces.   
He sat me down and before I could ask him what he was thinking, he was kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I felt the zipper of my dress slide down. His hands caressed my bare back and he pulled back from the kiss, “No interruptions.”   
“No interruptions,” I agreed. 

~  
Nik let the dress slide off and it pooled at her feet. Dean took a moment to appreciate the matching lingerie she’d had on underneath. She pushed his jacket off of his shoulders and he kissed her again. She removed his tie, throwing it to the side. She reached out to unbutton his shirt, kissing up his neck as he unhooked her bra. Nik slid her hands under the shirt and it fell off of him. Soon she had removed his belt and they moved over to the bed. Dean unbuttoned his pants and they were on the floor in seconds. He grabbed a condom out of his wallet and Nik took it.   
“Always prepared I see?” she smiled. Dean winked at her and followed her onto the bed as she laid back. Dean ran a hand down Nik's stomach and pulled back to look at her as he ran a finger along her panties, “You're beautiful.” She smiled and ran her hands down his back, pulling down his boxers. She blushed a little as she lightly ran her fingers over him, adding their protection. Dean pushed his fingers through her hair and pulled until her neck was exposed. She moaned as he bit gently on her neck. Nik wrapped her hand around Dean's length and he growled against her skin. She slowly moved her hand as he kissed his way down to her chest. When his lips found her nipples, she arched her back so he could have better access.   
He grabbed her hip and pulled her close, then lowered his hand to push off her underwear. Nik shivered as his fingers pushed into her. Dean set a slow rhythm that she matched with her hips. Dean was trying to take it slow and be a gentleman but Nik pushed his hand away and pulled him to her. He didn't argue. Nik wrapped her legs around his waist and he put his hands on the head board and kissed her as he drove into her. They both moaned and Dean didn't move for a second. Nik lifted her hips, urging him to continue. He pulled out just enough to tease and then thrust back in. Nik cried at as she gripped his back. He kissed down her neck and continued to move into her.   
Nik slid her hand down and began to rub her clit. Dean moved a hand to grip her hip as he sped up. She whimpered as she came. When Dean felt her tighten he pushed deep. His release wasn't far behind. He kissed her again, pulling away and wrapping her in his arms. They stayed quiet for a moment and just let their minds come down from the high.   
Nik lifted her head, “Do you smell smoke?” Dean frowned and sat up on the bed. The trash can by the door was on fire. He cursed and ran into the bathroom. In a few seconds he'd gotten the fire out but Nik was laughing on the bed.   
“What's so funny?” he demanded.  
“I've never seen a naked man run across a room. It just struck me as funny,” she laughed.   
“I'll show you funny,” he growled as he jumped back onto the bed. They wrestled for a moment, Nik pinning Dean to the bed as winner. Then she admitted the fire was probably her fault.   
“Cas said I could conjure the elements. I think that's what happened,” she said as she straddled Dean.   
“Well, we'll just have to be more careful this time,” he pulled her close. He entered her again and they spent the rest of the night in each others arms. 

~

Stone checked the ingredients and the spell one last time. Once he found the blood of a Phoenix he could do exactly what he needed. He would not be deterred this time. Stone put everything in the chest and went to leave. Leslie stopped him.   
“You can't go by yourself. Until the spell is complete you are vulnerable. I won't allow it,” she stood in front of the door.   
“I won’t be long and I won't risk you again. You're the only one that's stood by me this entire time,” he kissed her and pushed her away from the door. He left the safety of his cabin for the first time in years. It gave him a taste of what life could be like when he finished this. It was time to get the girls.


	20. Who am I?!?!?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun

I woke up warm. Really warm. I opened one eye and realized I was draped over Dean. He radiated heat like a fire. I smiled as I stretched and felt sore in all the right places. Dean's arm tightened around me, “Morning, Princess.”  
“Good morning,” I answered. His hand moved slightly lower down my back, but there was a knock on the door before anything could happen.  
“Dean, open up! You took my bag,” Sam called.  
I stood from the bed, despite Dean trying to pull me back in, and tossed on Dean's shirt. It went to mid thigh and I buttoned it up to cover up anything immodest. I opened the door for Sam and he walked in to grab his bag.  
“You can stay! I have to get my things too. Didn't have a chance to get them last night!” I walked out the door and ran to my room. It was freaking cold and I banged on the door. Kim opened up and immediately let me in. I jumped into my still made bed and under the covers. Kim gave me a look.  
“What? Can you get my bag out of the jeep?” I asked as the shivering calmed. Kim went out but was asking questions before she got back in. “You just spent the entire night with Dean. I want details!”  
“Yeah, well, you first. Don't think I didn't notice only one bed was slept in,” I smiled at her.  
“You already knew about that. I know that you know so don't think you can pretend you don't,” she scoffed, “You're just trying to change the subject.”  
“It was amazing. I set the trash can on fire accidentally. That man has a talented tongue too,” I sighed.  
“Okay, probably too much information. How did you set something on fire?”  
“I think it has something to do with my new abilities.”  
“Well, what now?” she asked as I finally got out of bed and headed to the shower.  
“I don't know? One day at a time,” I shrugged and went into the bathroom. It was time to go home. 

~  
“You look happy,” Sam said to his brother as Dean stretched on the bed.  
“Yeah, I guess I am. Enjoy your night with Kim?” Dean grinned.  
“Yes actually. Not that it's any of your business, jerk,” Sam walked into the bathroom and Dean laughed.  
“Bitch,” Dean called out as he got his own stuff ready to go. Today was going to be a good day. Sam looked out at Dean, the smile leaving his face.  
“What about what Cas said? She could be half demon. What if…?”  
“No what ifs. One day at a time, okay? Let's get home.”

~  
“You're sure?” Cas asked the angel in front of him.  
“As sure as I can be without seeing the child for myself,” the record keeper announced.  
“So it as I feared…”  
“There were two,” she said as her brow furrowed.  
“What?” Cas demanded.  
“Two children,” she looked up from the book in front of her. She turned it to show the page to Cas. He read the page and thanked the record keeper. He left to check the source. 

~  
I collapsed on my bed without bothering to unpack my bag. It had been a long weekend and I was exhausted. Kim knocked on the door and then fell into the chair in the corner.  
“I am so glad to be back,” I told her as I closed my eyes again.  
“Don't get comfortable. We have to leave Thursday morning, remember?”  
“What? Why?” I looked up at her.  
“It's the end of November, you have a book signing and convention to appear at!”  
“Oh shit I forgot about that,” I groaned.  
“Forgot about what?” Dean said from the doorway.  
“I have to make an appearance at an author and reader convention.” I opened my bag and tossed him the shirt I had stolen. He caught it and hung it over his shoulder.  
“Can't you cancel? It's dangerous for you to be front and center when we don't know what Stone is planning next,” Dean argued.  
“They pay me a lot to go, besides I don't use my real name when I publish these books.”  
“I'll contact the suppliers and make sure the physical copies are ready to go!” Kim left the room and I stood reluctantly to get unpacked.  
“You want to go?” I asked Dean.  
“Will there be a bar?”  
“Yep, and copious amounts of drinking by the readers and authors alike. This tends to lead to dancing and other shenanigans.”  
“Sounds like a party, I'm in. I'm going to go shower,” he headed off.  
“See you at dinner,” I called as I headed into the kitchen. Kim was cooking with Sam, and I sighed when I remembered it was my turn to do the dishes. Dinner went smoothly as we made plans to head out in two days for the con. We cleaned up and moved out to the library for after dinner conversation.  
Kim and Sam were snuggled on the large L-shaped couch we had purchased for everyone. Now that everyone knew they were together, they showed it with no shame. Dean and I sat on the other end of the couch, close but not quite touching. I'd never been comfortable with public displays of affection, but my heart did a flip when he put an arm around me and pulled me into his side.  
Kim and I spent the next hour or so informing the boys what they could expect at the con. Their expressions ranged from amused to horrified. We were all laughing when the door to the bunker opened. We were all on our feet in an instant, the laughter and happiness gone. Dean had his gun trained as he took point and moved towards the entrance. He sighed and lowered the gun as Cas came around the corner.  
“Where have you been?” Sam asked as he saw the serious look on the angel's face.  
“We need to talk,” he said in that serious voice he had. We all settled back onto the couch and looked expectantly at Cas.  
“I know what you are now,” he looked directly at me.  
Dean took my hand, “Whatever it is, you won't face it alone.”  
I nodded at him and looked back to Cas, “Alright. Hit me. What kind of monster am I?”


	21. Family Matters

“Your mother was an elemental. Your father was an angel,” Cas told everyone in the room.  
I didn’t realize I was holding a breath until I let it out, “So I'm not a demon.”  
“No, but I have more news. Your mother defected after giving birth to you. The records say she was upset when they took you from her.”  
“They took me? Why?”  
“To bind and train you. I've told you before how temperamental your kind are. It was normal for the children to be separated. She took you from the nursery. She came to earth and met a demon who apparently preyed on her ignorance of the world. She had another baby. A boy. His name is Clint Stone,” Cas ended.  
“Stone is my brother,” I sat back and Dean's hand tightened on mine.  
“Could this situation get any weirder?” Kim demanded.  
“Please don’t say that,” I laughed, even to my ears it sounded a little hysterical.  
“If Stone is her brother, why the attacks? And what happened to her mother?” Sam asked Cas.  
“I'm not sure of that. All I know is what I could find in the records and my contacts,” Cas answered.  
“I don't need to know about that right now. We'll get through this weekend, Cas will help me train, and then I'll go find Stone,” I explained.  
“You mean we'll go find Stone,” Kim corrected.  
“Yes, of course that’s what I meant,” I smiled at her. Our lives were getting so out of hand. What next? “If you'll excuse me, I have some writing to do.” I let go of Dean’s hand and walked to my room. I closed the door quietly and sat on my bed, my back against the wall. I looked over to my nightstand where my laptop sat but I didn't touch it. Instead I pulled my knees up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them and I laid my head down. Then I wept.  
I didn’t cry like this often. A few tears every now and then but this was different. The last time I’d cried like this was the night my parents died. I'd gotten Kim to sleep, walked outside to the hallway and sat in this exact position. I'd not cried in front of her that night or any night since. This was soul cleansing, headache inducing, shoulder shaking weeping. I heard two sharp knocks on my door and then the handle turned. I looked up expecting to see Kim but Dean stood there instead. Without a word he closed the door behind him and moved towards me. I moved over as he sat next to me on the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.  
I didn’t even try to hold back the tears and sobbed into his shoulder. This time I wasn't crying because of grief. It was a mixture of a few emotions. Relief that I wasn't half demon. Uncertainty of what happened next. Anxiety at leaving the people I loved. Because no matter what our next move was, I couldn't ask them to be involved in this disaster that had become my existence. Eventually the tears slowed and I fell asleep wrapped in Dean's arms.

~

Kim stood to follow Nik but Dean stopped her, “Let me go. Please.” Kim nodded and sat back down with Sam. Cas sat in a chair across from them and there was an awkward silence between the group.  
“How did you find this out?” Sam finally asked.  
“The archives in Heaven are extensive. Then I found a rebel elemental here who knew a little. I still don't know the name of the demon that fathered Stone, but I'm working on it.”  
“Our lives have turned upside down in the matter of a few months. I haven't seen Nik this upset since our parents died. I'm afraid she might do something stupid,” Kim leaned into Sam's shoulder.  
“I'd say she wouldn't, but if it were Dean I would be thinking the same,” Sam rubbed her back.  
“He does tend to run headfirst into trouble,” Cas agreed.  
“I think I saw a protection spell in one of the books here. Cas, will the normal spells work now that she’s been unbound?” Kim stood and headed towards the books.  
“Yes. However if she can tap into her angel abilities she may not need it,” Cas admitted.  
“How does she do that?” Sam inquired.  
“That would be up to her,” Cas stood and headed out, “I'll see what else I can find.”  
“Do you need help?” Sam got up and headed towards Kim.  
“No, I know what I'm looking for it won't take long. I'll come to bed in a bit!” Kim smiled cheerfully. Sam watched her for a minute and then nodded. He turned to head to the rooms and Kim watched to make sure he went the entire way. Then she turned and found the spell book she had seen earlier. The magic in this was not something she'd ever done before. This was sacrificial magic, it called for blood. Kim turned to the page she was looking for. If this is what it took to save her sister, this is what she would do.


	22. Fiona the Grand

I left Dean asleep in the room, closing the door as quietly as possible. I had woken with the need to be outside. Ever since Cas had broken the bond, I needed to be in the elements more than normal. I made my way outside and inhaled deeply. The night sky was clear and the cold air ran over my skin. I let myself go to the lines of energy that called to me and watched as they blazed to life.   
I watched the green lines swirl up my arms and I called forth the reddish orange lines that conjured fire. A little flame appeared in my hand and I let it grow to cover my arm. It hovered above my skin, offering warmth but not burning. I concentrated and swirled it around me. I felt the presence of someone behind me, but the earth told me it was Dean.   
“That's kind of terrifying,” I heard him say. I let the fire die and turned to face him. “Your eyes are glowing,” he informed me.   
“That does happen sometimes. Is everything okay?” I smiled.   
“Just checking on you,” he answered.   
“I'm awesome,” I laughed. He looked skeptical so I continued, “I can feel everything. It's hard to explain exactly but it's like the elements speak to me. I told Cas in the mountains that the lake was telling me about the fish that swam there. It's kind of mind blowing.”   
The door opened again and Kim stepped out, “The amount of power you're emitting is screaming so loud I felt it from inside. What's going on out here?” She stopped next to Dean and I watched the lines of energy swirl around her protectively. The world was shielding her. I focused a little harder and the whispers came to my ears. I gasped and looked at my baby sister.   
“Kim,” I paused, making sure what I was hearing was correct, “You're pregnant.”   
Her hand flew to her stomach and Dean's eyes went to her, “What? Pregnant? Are you sure?” I walked over to her and touched her stomach. The energy around my arms curled around the lines already surrounding her.   
“Yeah, mother earth is sure. Your kid is putting off some pretty strong vibes,” I answered.  
“Mother earth?” She laughed as tears filled her eyes.  
“I don't know what else to call it,” I shrugged and pulled her into a hug.   
“We have to tell Sam,” Dean said after clearing his throat.  
“Oh shit he's right!” I pulled her arm through mine and we headed back into the bunker.   
“You can’t curse like that in front of little Lorenzo,” Kim chided.   
“You are not naming that baby Lorenzo!”  
“I second that,” Dean spoke up, “I'll go wake Sam, wait here.” He went down the hall and we sat on the couch.   
“I never thought with the life we had that this would ever be a possibility. What are we going to do?” she looked up at me.   
“Same thing we do every night, Pinky. One step at a time,” I winked. A very sleepy Sam walked in as Dean pushed him towards us.   
“Is everything okay? Why are we all back out here?” Sam looked at Kim, “Why are you crying?”   
“Sam, I'm having a baby,” she explained. Sam stumbled back a step and Dean put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.   
“My baby?” his voice was a little high.   
“Of course it's yours, what the hell do you mean?” Kim stood and glared at him.   
“No! I meant… I don't know what I meant. Kim, we’re having a baby,” he pulled her into his arms and she melted into him. Dean and I left them to soak in the news together. He took my hand and pulled me to his room.   
“We need sleep,” he collapsed on the bed.  
“I could sleep in my room,” I reasoned.  
“You're already here, don’t be ridiculous.”   
I climbed into bed next to him and wiggled closer to his warmth, “If I didn't know better, I'd say someone was doing all of this.”   
“What?” Dean snorted.  
“Seriously! Like a sociopathic mega being that has control over our lives. She's choosing what happens next and we are her unwilling pawns,” I mused.   
“Makes sense that it would be a woman,” he chuckled. I elbowed him lightly in the ribs.  
“What if she runs out?” I whispered.  
“Runs out of what?”   
“Ideas. For our lives. For our stories. What happens when she runs out?”   
“It won't.”  
“How can you be sure?”   
“Because we're too pretty to die.”   
I sat up and gasped, “Is that a Firefly quote? I knew you'd like it!”   
“Go to sleep, Nik,” he pulled me back down and I smiled when he kissed the top of my head.


	23. Meet Ann

“We have to get you to a doctor,” Sam announced.   
“For?” Kim asked sleepily. They had made their way back to the bedroom after a few moments of elation in the main room. Kim had seduced Sam easily and now they were content in each others arms.   
“We need to see how far along you are and what vitamins you need to be taking. I'm sure there’s a lot we need to be doing.”  
“It'll wait until after this weekend. We can go after the convention,” Kim yawned.  
“You can’t go to the convention! It's too dangerous,” Sam argued.   
“I have to go. I'm Nik's manager, I handle the sales and literally everything else. She wouldn't know how to do it,” Kim lifted herself up on her arm and looked down at Sam. “I need you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect this life inside of me. However, I will not be left behind to hide timidly while my sister needs me. Don’t try to make me. It will not end well.”   
“I'm just worried, Kim. This was never going to be a possibility before you and Nik showed up. This is a big deal. Dean would ask Nik to stay if it were them.”  
Kim laughed, “And you think she'd listen?”  
“Good point,” he chuckled.   
“It will be fine. The three of you will be there, I couldn't ask for better protection,” she pushed her fingers through his hair and kissed him lightly.   
“If anything goes sideways,” he started, but she put a hand over his mouth. “If it goes sideways, I will leave and let you three handle it. Unless you're in over your heads and need me to rescue you. Deal?”   
He pulled her hand away, “Deal.” Kim laid back down with her head on his chest and fell asleep with a smile. 

~

Wednesday was peaceful. We packed for the convention and Dean made sure Baby was ready for the trip. I spent some time practicing with the elements. Sam found a local doctor and convinced Kim to set an appointment for that day. He and Kim left soon after. I came back in and Dean showed me how to work on Baby a little. Then we decided to share a shower. We weren't very productive after that distraction.   
Kim called to tell me they were on the way back, so Dean and I reluctantly got dressed. By the time they returned I had prepared lunch for everyone so that Kim could tell us everything she had learned. Turns out she was right at six weeks pregnant.   
“We estimated it was probably the first time we…. Well, you guys know how this works,” Kim blushed.   
“Apparently we weren't very careful that night,” Sam laughed.   
“Alright, this is gross,” Dean shook his head.   
“When do we find out if it's a boy or a girl?” I asked excitedly.   
“Not for a while yet,” Kim answered.   
“I have to buy all the clothes!” I shouted dramatically, “Fiona won't stop me.”   
“Fiona?” Sam raised an eyebrow.   
“Oh, yeah. Nik has convinced herself that our lives are being controlled by a powerful entity. Which she has since named Fiona,” Dean explained.  
“What does Fiona have planned next?” Kim asked.  
“I don't know. I feel like she's just making shit up now. I'm trying to find a way to fight her,” I cleaned up the plates.   
“Okay. Nik, I love you but I think you have finally snapped. Have you been sleeping okay? Drinking whiskey again?” Kim felt my forehead as I passed her.   
“Well, that's hurtful. You'll see. You'll all see,” I laughed. I went to the sink to wash up and Kim followed me. Sam and Dean sat talking to each other quietly and Kim touched my shoulder.  
“Hey. Are you okay? Seriously?” her face was full of concern.  
“Yes, actually. Finding out you're having a baby… we've learned all this terrible and scary news recently. Then this just kind of turned it all around. No matter what happens, this makes it worth it. We have something amazing to look forward to and it's making me giddy. Finding Stone now is just a step to making sure there's one less monster in the world that you're bringing this kid into,” I smiled.   
“We don't know he’s a monster,” Kim tried.   
“I doubt he wants to meet for brunch. No, the only thing that matters now is keeping you and little Goku safe.”  
“No, absolutely not. We aren't naming the baby after a DBZ character,” she turned and walked away from me. I smiled as I watched her wrap her arms around Sam's shoulders. He placed a hand over hers and even Dean smiled as he watched them. Maybe this was a sign things were going right for once.   
“Don't fuck it up, Fiona,” I muttered as I walked back to the table. Kim and I went to bed soon after, tomorrow was coming quickly and I wasn’t a morning person. It was time to focus on my day job. 

~  
Dean watched Kim and Nik head to bed and turned to Sam, “I'm happy for you, man. If anyone deserves this, it's you.”  
Sam took a sip of his beer and smiled, “This is all unreal. I'm worried about this convention, though. She made Nik stay for a broken arm but she won't consider the same for herself. She won't even listen to her sister.”   
“We'll just have to be extra careful. I'm sure we could lock her in her room like we did to Nik, but I feel like that’s a bad idea. Pregnancy hormones and magic probably don't mix.”   
“Yeah, I agree on that,” Sam laughed.   
“You know we won’t let anything happen to her. Nik promised to not let her out of her sight.”   
“You haven't been letting Nik out of your sight, I noticed.”   
“Sam, am I crazy? It's not normal the way things are happening here. I can’t get her out of my head, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like I’m under a spell, but one that I'm enjoying the hell out of. It's never been that way for me. I don't even know what's going on anymore.”   
“Emotions aren't supposed to be normal, Dean. Most people don't understand it, I'm sure. Besides, you have a bigger heart than you like to let on.”  
“Yeah, maybe. You should go be with Kim. I have a feeling this weekend is going to crazy. Let's get some sleep,” Dean stood and Sam followed suit.   
They made their way to their rooms and Dean opened the door to his. He frowned when he saw it was empty. Where was Nik? He walked down the hall and knocked on her door. She opened it quickly and he looked down at the bag in her hand.   
“Are you leaving tonight?” he asked.  
“Nope. Just wanted to make sure I had my stuff ready for the morning so I'm bringing it to your room. I am not good with early. Wait, are you coming to tell me I can’t sleep in your room tonight? I know I was snoring probably and that I can be a bit of a bed hog,” she looked embarrassed.  
“You also talk too much,” he nodded.   
Her eyes narrowed, “Are you looking for a fight, Winchester?”  
Dean took the bag from her and started walking back to his room, “Come on, Princess. We have an early day tomorrow.” Nik followed and it didn’t take long for them to get settled in bed and fall asleep.

~

Kim chuckled as Nik gathered them all at the door of the bunker. She had a feeling she knew what Nik was about to tell them. Nik wrote all of her books under a pen name. Ann Mory was an award winning author. She was also a bit insane.  
“Alright, some things you'll need to know about this weekend. Ann Mory is a character I play. No, that's not right. She's who I would have been if I'd never learned about the truth. So all the weirdness these last few days has all been me becoming Ann. Creating Fiona, being super weird. That’s all Ann.” Kim held her laughter as Nik went to Dean.   
“I need to confess something to you. I saw you at the hospital when I met John. I may have developed a small crush. Leading me to create a main character that may or may not look exactly like you,” she said seriously.  
“I was wondering if you were going to tell him,” Kim laughed.  
“When he sees the fan art, he's going to have questions!”   
“You developed a character after me?” Dean's smile was smug. “No wonder your books sell, with a handsome bastard like that in the lead.”   
“Okay, time to go,” Nik turned and headed towards the garage. They were all packed and in the impala quickly. It was a long drive to Las Vegas.


	24. Not your Conventional convention

“Hello, how can I help you?” the desk clerk asked Kim. 

“We're here for the convention. Reservations should be under Mory,” Kim handed some papers to the man. 

“Super lucky for you that the two rooms opened up! I don't think the original room would have held so much muscle,” the clerk winked at Sam. 

“Thank you,” Kim took Sam's arm and their room key and headed off. Dean grabbed the second card and followed behind his brother. I laughed as Kim turned to look back at the clerk. 

“He was obviously trying to flirt with Sam. How rude,” Kim fumed. 

“I think you're just crazy,” I stated. I turned as someone shouted out my fake name. 

“Cindy! What's wrong?” I took in the frazzled appearance of the event coordinator. 

“Kim told me about the stalker! What are you doing out in the open?” Cindy demanded. 

“Oh. Kim told you about the stalker. Well, no need to worry. This is Dean,” I tilted my head towards the boys, “And that’s Sam. They’re professional bodyguards.” 

“Pleased to meet you,” Sam smiled at the woman. 

“Thank goodness. I was worried the hotel wouldn't have adequate security and we’d have to cancel your panel!” 

“Oh, no. Sam and Dean are well trained. They'll keep us safe,” Kim assured the woman. “We need to go unpack we'll be down in time for the meeting.” Cindy let us enter the elevator and I turned to my sister. 

“What did you do?” I narrowed my eyes at her. 

“I'm sure I have no idea what you're alluding to,” Kim sniffed. 

“The rooms magically appearing in a packed hotel? A stalker? These are things I'd prefer to know about before questioned!” Dean put a hand on my shoulder and I took a deep breath. No need to level the hotel with an earthquake accidentally. 

“I can’t help it if two couples just happened to win an all expense paid cruise to the Caribbean. That they didn't even apply to,” we all looked at Kim until she huffed. “Okay, I used a little luck magic. Did you want to share two small twin beds between all four of us? And I had to come up with a reason for the presence of two overbearing men, so I invented the stalker.” 

“Overbearing? We aren't overbearing,” Sam objected. 

“Yeah, sure you aren't baby,” Kim patted his chest. 

“Alright, just try and keep me informed,” I sighed. We reached our floor and were able to get everything unloaded in good time. 

“What meeting are we going to?” Dean checked his gun and holstered it. 

“It's like a preparation. They give us the schedules, tell us where our stands are. Mostly it's just a dinner where we all get together and have a good time before the work begins. What do you think, green dress again?” I looked in the mirror at the two dresses I had brought. Tonight's dinner was slightly more formal than the weekend festivities. 

“I do like seeing you in that dress,” he grinned. 

“It has a high enough slit I can wear my thigh holster,” I slid the dress on and lifted my leg to show him my gun. 

“Gorgeous and practical. You think Sam and Kim are ready? I'm hungry,” he opened the door and found Sam and Kim already in the hall. 

The Winchesters wore their FBI suits and looked every bit the part they were playing. Dean pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and pulled them on. He motioned toward the elevator, “This way, Ms. Mory.” 

The boys escorted us down stairs and then took seats beside mine and Kim's chairs at the table. We were effectively sandwiched between them. Then waiters came and we ordered the food. It didn't take long for the authors to get a little rowdy. Laughter echoed across the room. There were some shocked faces from friends when Kim declined a drink. She normally partied with them. 

“Oh no, Kim, Ed alert!” I leaned over to whisper. 

“Who's Ed?” Sam turned to look at the middle aged man headed to our table. 

“He's one of the authors. He's had a thing for Kim since we started this con eight years ago. She was seventeen years old. He was forty. I broke his fucking nose,” I smiled at the memory. 

“Hasn't really deterred him though,” she explained to Sam as Ed approached the table. 

“Ladies, hello! I see some new faces with you. Book cover models?” Ed laughed. 

“Bodyguards,” Sam answered seriously as he stood, “Sir, you're standing a little too close to the table.” 

Ed’s laughter died down slightly, “Wait… are you serious?” 

“Deadly,” Sam replied. 

“Yeah, sorry Ed. We've had a stalker surface and Nik thought it would be a good idea to hire help,” Kim shrugged. 

“A stalker? No way! Do you know who it is?” One of the authors at another table called out. 

“No, but we're well protected. Sam and Dean have a knack for making problems disappear,” Kim smiled at Ed. I laughed as Ed scrambled off with a mumble. 

“That was mean, but very well done,” I smiled at Gloria, the other that had spoken, as she sat at our table. 

“So what happened? You have to tell me everything!” she demanded. 

“Nothing much, just some weird letters. Guy wants to get me alone Misery style, I guess,” I told her. 

“Oh, that's awful. Some of our fans can be really weird. At least you fellas are fun to look at,” Gloria winked at Dean. 

“Yeah, it definitely makes my job easier,” I laughed with her. 

“Be careful, plenty of romance novels have been written about falling in love with the bodyguard just to have your heart broken,” Gloria went back to join her table. 

“Well, you boys are popular tonight,” Kim laughed. The lights turned down and the dance floor was illuminated with color. 

“Are bodyguards allowed to dance?” Sam held a hand out to Kim and she took it as the music started playing. They headed out to the dance floor with smiles. 

“I'm so glad to see them happy. They deserve it,” I sighed. 

“I said the same to Sam last night. I've been down some dark roads in my life. Done some pretty terrible things. In the end, it's all worth it if Sammy is safe and happy. I know you feel the same about Kim,” Dean watched his brother. 

“I do. Dean,” I waited until he looked at me, “we deserve happiness too, you know? All the dark shit you're talking about... Yeah we might've done some things we regret, but we've also done a lot of good. You deserve to be happy, too.” 

He smiled at me, “I am. What do you say we call it in a little early and go back to the room?” 

We stood together and were headed out when there was a scream. Dean had me pushed behind him and his hand on his gun before I even knew what was happening. I turned quickly to look for Kim but she and Sam were gone. I immediately headed in the direction I last saw them and Dean followed close behind. There was a crowd gathering behind the stage. Kim was kneeling next to a body on the floor. Sam stood over her, keeping people back. 

I had a small flash back to the night we met. Sam protecting Kim from the vampires. Had that really only been three and a half months ago? It was starting to feel like a lifetime. Dean and I pushed through the crowd and that’s when I saw the body. It was Ed. Symbols were drawn in his blood around his body. 

“We need to clear the area,” I whispered to Dean. 

“Alright people, I need all civilians away from the body. My associate and I will contact the proper authorities and handle this situation. Thank you,” Dean ushered everyone away from the grisly scene. 

Kim looked up from the body and her tanned face was unusually pale, “This is sacrificial magic.” 

“What? How do you know that?” the symbols didn't look familiar to me. 

“Because I tried the exact same spell before we left the bunker,” she admitted. 

“What the hell do you mean you tried it?” Sam demanded. 

“I wanted to make sure Nik was safe! This kind of magic applies a certain strength to the recipient. I had to know she could protect herself. The stronger the life energy of the victim, the stronger the spell,” Kim pleaded with us to understand. 

I felt sick to my stomach, “You sacrificed someone for me?” 

“No! Just a stray cat. It was about to die anyway. Something had fought with it,” she admitted. 

“That's how serial killers start!” I cried. The building shook a little and I clenched my fists. I really needed to work on my emotional reaction to things. 

“So… who did this?” Sam motioned to Ed. We all looked at Kim. 

“It obviously wasn’t me! I was with you the entire time. Whoever did it is quick though,” she pointed to the runes, “He was alive fifteen minutes ago. They're practiced in this art.” 

“Let's call the police and get this taken care of. Cindy will have a heart attack if this kills the con,” I left the closed off section behind the stage and Dean followed. He called emergency services while I handled crowd control. The police arrived quickly and took over. The room was closed down for the evening and we were all sent out. I couldn't really look at Kim. She and Sam were having a whispered argument on the way back up to the rooms. 

I walked straight into my room and Dean closed the door behind us. I sat on the bed and pulled my legs up. Dean placed the room chair in front of me. I took a second to collect my thoughts. 

“I'm upset but I shouldn't be. Had our situations been reversed I would have done the same. I would do anything to make sure she was safe. Anything… but it's Kim. I'm supposed to do the bad things. She's the good one.” 

Dean looked solemn as he spoke, “It would be nice if the things we dealt with didn't touch them. Sam and I have had our share of bad ideas when it came it saving each other. Probably will in the future. You do what you can to keep your family protected. You do what you have to.” I nodded but didn’t reply as the muffled sound of raised voices came from the room next to ours.


	25. Muuuuuuurder part deux

“What the hell were you thinking?” Sam demanded. 

“The same thing you would if it were Dean!” Kim yelled back. 

“You are carrying my child, we don’t know what effect this magic may have!” 

“The baby is fine, and Nik is stronger. She'll be able to survive a lethal blow with the energy I provided her. If I can find a renewable source, I can keep her, and us, protected forever.” 

“Renewable source? You plan on killing again?” 

“That's not what I meant!” 

“Then what did you mean? Because someone out there seems to have similar ideas. We need to figure this out now.” 

“I will figure it out but I can't right now. You're mad at me, Nik's mad at me. All I was trying to do was keep us all safe. I need sleep, it's been an exhausting day,” Kim shed her clothes and climbed into bed. 

“Alright,” Sam conceded. He followed her lead and got into the bed. He pulled her close and held her as she fell asleep. 

 

 

~ 

Cindy called me the next morning to let me know the fans had started arriving. Kim knocked on the door a few moments later and after a tearful conversation we hugged it out. Dean had left to give us a moment alone. I didn't approve of what she'd done but I didn't approve of a lot of things I’d done either. I couldn't stay upset knowing I would have done it too. 

“Are we doing pirates, warriors, or fairies today?” I asked Kim. 

“Fairies. Get the winged costumes out of the way first,” she handed me my costume and within moments we were dressed and winged. She helped me with my makeup and we walked out to see our boys waiting for us in the hall. 

“What are you wearing?” Sam laughed. 

“We are elegant and magical fairies,” Kim sniffed. 

“If you say so. Don't we have to be somewhere soon?” Dean looked at his watch. 

“Yes sir, Mr. Bodyguard,” I saluted him and we all entered the elevator. There was a covered entrance to our booth and we made it pretty quickly. The line for the book signing was already long for all of the authors. I saw a few recurring faces, people that had been fans for a few years. Cindy had thoughtfully provided seats for Sam and Dean. They looked like bar stools with a back, but it allowed them to sit elevated. They were able to see everything and could jump up at a moments notice. Something a bodyguard might need to do. Keeping up appearances was exhausting. 

The mood was somber. Everyone had heard of Ed's demise and it was painful for his fans to see his booth empty. The guy had been a nuisance but he hadn't deserved what had happened to him. The convention volunteers let the fans start coming up to the tables and soon all the other thoughts were out of my head. The happier they are to see me, the more motivated I get to write for them. There's something heartwarming about hearing how much someone loves your work. I signed quite a few books and received a lot of gifts from fans. Most of them were pictures of my characters or little stuffed animals. 

We finished the book signing and headed to the group lunch. We got a chance to interact more with the convention goers and to make connections with publishers and editors. Everyone always got a little tipsy at the lunch. It made the question and answer panels much more interesting. The announcement for the first Q&A panel came across the speakers and we all headed into the stage room. Myself and four other authors took turns answering questions about our characters and future books. Kim and the guys stood protectively to the side of the stage. When it was time to leave they ushered me out like I was the president. Kim pulled me to the side as my arch nemesis Jen Walker passed. Jen sneered at me and Dean raised an eyebrow in question. 

“She released her first book the same weekend I released mine. Mine sold over four thousand more copies. Ever since then she's tried to sabotage my releases. She's spread rumors about me, she's tried to tell people I stole her book ideas and she even went so far as to hire a hacker to stop the online release of my last book. Luckily we figured it out and all was fine. Could never pin it on her, though,” I looked back in time to see Jen give me the finger and disappear around the corner. 

“Sounds like a ray of sunshine,” Dean stopped at one of the booths as we headed out onto the main convention floor. Lisa was one of the other authors and specialized in BDSM. Her booth was full of toys and contraptions her characters used. He held up a set of restraints and winked at me. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, ignoring the shiver of anticipation as I watched him buy the set. Those were thoughts for later. We had a mystery to solve. 

As if reading my mind, Kim twirled dramatically, her wings flapping, “Alright, Scooby Gang. We got some detective work to do! Who would do that spell here? Is it related to our current predicament or just some random bad guy?” 

“I think it's too much of a coincidence for it to not be related,” Sam led Kim and I into our booth as Dean unchained the line my readers had been waiting at. We smiled for photos and I signed autographs for the people there and some that were being taken back to friends and relatives. I blushed every time someone showed me fan art of the character based on Dean. The smarmy look on his face made it so much worse. One girl even slid her number across the table to him with a wink. He politely waited until she turned away to throw it in the trash. 

We got through the signing and headed out. Kim handed me the transactions for the day and I whistled, “We beat last year's profits already.” 

“Tonight is trivia and tomorrow is karaoke night! We will do some charming and mingling. You'll have more sales all weekend, no question,” Kim looked down the hall to our left and stopped. I followed her gaze and my eyes widened. Cindy stood talking to another officer, and a white sheet covered something on the ground. Blood oozed out from under the cover. Cindy looked up and saw us staring. She said something to the officer and ran up to us. 

“Please don't say anything! It will cause panic. They're already threatening to close the con early!” she started talking before she'd come the entire way. 

“Woah, calm down. What happened?” I watched as Cindy took a breath. 

“It's Ms. Walker. Her assistant said someone came by to ask her about a book deal and they left together. Her assistant found her like this a little while later,” Cindy gestured helplessly at the body. 

“We'll keep people away from the entrances while you talk,” Sam said. He and Dean went to the doors at each end of the hall and stood in front of them, guiding people away. 

“Ms. Walker? Jen Walker?” I asked Cindy, a sinking feeling in my stomach. Cindy nodded, a sad look on her face. I vaguely heard Kim ask if anyone had a description of the person she'd left with but my mind was spinning. The first victim had been a pervert that had hit on my baby sister. Jen had not been a friend by any means. Was someone trying to set us up? Our mutual animosity with these people had not been a secret. I saw the police wheel the body out and the clean up crew came in. They took some photos of the symbols and then got to work. The officer was heading our way. 

“Did you know the victim?” he asked after introducing himself. 

“Professionally, yes. We weren't acquainted past that,” I answered. Not a lie, exactly. Cindy told him I was another author. 

“If anyone approaches you in the same manner, do not go alone. Contact us immediately,” he demanded. He collected a few more statements from us and when I looked back over the hallway was empty. All of that had happened and been erased in a matter of hours. I shook myself out my thoughts. Trivia night was coming up, and we needed to get ready. We had to keep moving like everything was normal. 

 

 

~ 

 

“What did you find out?” Stone asked Leslie as she returned. Her face was blood splattered and she was grinning. 

“The Winchesters are with them. There is some made up story of needing body guards for a stalker,” she looked closely at him, “How are feeling? Stronger?” 

“The spell seems to be working. It was lucky the witch reminded us of this spell. She's got no stomach for killing things larger than a cat. At least now I'll have a chance of survival if it comes to a fight,” Stone grabbed a towel and wiped the blood from Leslie's cheek.


	26. Karaoke

“Meet back here in two hours for trivia?” Kim asked me as we came to the rooms. 

“Yeah, I need to change and think through this bizarre day,” I went into the room with Dean following close behind. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“I just feel like someone out there is messing with us,” I took off my fake fairy wings and told him I was going to take a shower. I let the water rinse away the glitter and stress from the day. These events had always been an escape from the general murder and mayhem of our regular lives. Now not even this was safe. Somewhere deep inside Ann Mory was weeping. I turned off the shower and wrapped the towel around me. I quickly brushed through my curls, cheating a little as I used my power to keep the excess water off of the floor. Practice makes perfect, after all. I clipped my hair up to deal with later, and stepped out to grab my clothes. Dean kept the room ice cold and I was shivering as soon as I opened the door. 

Dean stood at the foot of the bed, shirtless. He looked over and that breath taking smile of his slowly spread over his face. He strode over to me and took the clip from my hair. He tossed it on a near by table and ran his hand through my damp hair. He pulled my face to his and kissed me softly, “How much time do we have?” 

“About an hour,” I smiled, kissing him again. I didn’t realize what was happening until he had lifted me and we were headed to the bed. I allowed myself to get lost in the way he made me feel. He pushed my arms over my head, and I stretched back as he bit my neck. Then something captured my left wrist. I looked up in shock as my right wrist was subjected to a similar treatment. Dean had hooked up the restraints while I'd been in the shower. 

“You sneaky bastard,” I gasped as he kissed down my body. I pulled lightly on the restraints, if needed I could break them easily. I wanted to see where it was going, though. Dean strapped my ankles into the bottom part and then stood looking. 

“I may need more than an hour,” he grinned wickedly, “What’s the safe word?” 

“Kumquat,” I replied without hesitation. 

“What?” 

“It's hilarious. It'll break up any tension.” 

“As the princess wishes,” and with those words, the best hour of my life began. It felt like minutes later when Kim was knocking on the door, causing Dean and I to rush out of the shower and get dressed quickly. The boys were dressed casually, the suits had been bringing a lot of attention. That was something we didn't need with a police investigation going on. We headed down to the auditorium and had a nice quiet night with the crowd. We headed to bed late, sleeping as soon as we laid down. 

The next morning came bright and early. We put on our pirate costumes and headed out for another day of convention madness. Thankfully we made it through the day without another murder, but tonight was karaoke night. This was when shit was going to get weird. We went back up to the rooms to get changed. Kim and I kicked Dean out my room, and started getting ready. It was time for battle. 

 

~ 

 

Dean watched Nik close the door in his face after she had handed him his bag. He had been hoping for a repeat of yesterday afternoon, but it looked like that wasn't happening. He went into the next room with Sam. Sam grabbed a beer from the fridge and tossed it to his brother. 

“What do you think we should expect tonight?” Sam asked. 

“What do you mean? Isn’t it just a bunch of drunk people singing?” Dean replied. 

“Kim said she and Nik really get into it. They won a competition last year or something, so they're the reigning champions,” Sam laughed. 

“Nik didn't tell me that,” Dean frowned. 

Sam shrugged, “Kim is definitely more of a talker than Nik.” 

“Yeah, that’s true. I think Nik is really upset about the murders. I wish I could find Stone, stab an angel blade in his chest and finish this,” Dean sighed. Sam's phone buzzed and he told Dean the girls were ready. The boys headed out to the hall in time to see the girls walk out. Both wore black combat boots, skin tight camo pants, and both had satchel bags. Kim's shirt was a Led Zeppelin shirt but Dean didn't recognize the character on Nik's. 

“He's a book character,” she explained when he asked, “Prince Kheldar, better known as Silk from the Belgariad. The first set of books I ever read growing up.” She marched forward, leading the way to the auditorium. Kim and Nik were whispering furtively the entire way. They stopped in front of the doors and the girls turned to face them. 

“We need to talk,” Nik began, her face serious. “This thing between us,” she motioned between Dean and herself, “It's new. It's fresh. It's…it's pure. Like Shawn and Jules in season 5.” 

“Psych reference, nice,” Kim muttered. The two girls did a first bump and Sam sighed. 

“You two really watch too much TV,” he told them. 

Nik frowned at him, but continued, “Which is why we felt the need to apologize for what is about to happen in advance. The weird things you've seen these past few days have been nothing compared to what happens in this room. We need you to know, when we're in there… we are not ourselves.” 

Sam and Dean shared a concerned look, but nodded without speaking. Nik squared her shoulders and turned to the doors. With a determined sigh, she pushed them open. Cheers erupted and she climbed up on a chair, going a step further onto the nearest table. 

“Your queens are here fuckers!” she shouted as the cheers grew louder. Kim joined her on the table and they opened the satchel bags. They began tossing out shiny plastic beads and bookmarks. That was the most normal thing that happened all night. 

 

~ 

“First team category!” the announcer called over the microphone, “Best Pop song! You have 5 minutes to choose!” 

“We prepared two for this,” Kim told her sister, looking at the notebook she had pulled from the bag, “Genie in a Bottle or Backstreet's Back?” 

“Christina is hard. Should we play it safe on this round?” Nik asked, her narrowed gaze going over their competition. 

“Yeah, good idea. Backstreet Boys it is,” Kim ran up to the announcer and handed in their slip. He nodded and Kim came back to the table, laughing at the look on the boys faces. Soon everyone had turned in their song choices. The announcer called up Nik and Kim first and they knocked the socks off of everyone in the room. 

Kim took lead in the song, and they did the choreography perfect. She didn’t know if she was pleased or embarrassed that Sam was here. One team was eliminated, and the second category was announced. Emo rock. Kim laughed, Nik had this one in the bag. 

“MCR or Fall Out?” Nik questioned. 

“MCR. Definitely. This one,” Kim pointed at the notebook. They got their turn on stage and Nik rocked “I'm Not Okay.” They easily made it to the third round. 

“Country!” came the shout from the announcer. Multiple groans were heard from the audience but Kim smiled, “Patsy?” 

“Always Patsy,” Nik agreed. Kim again took the lead, breaking hearts with her version of “Crazy.” Fourth round left only three teams. Everyone was good and drunk now, so things were getting rowdy. 

“Love songs, can be from any genre,” came from the stage. 

“We didn't prepare for that!” Kim panicked. 

“Snap out of it! We've prepared for this our whole lives! Think, what’s the best love song you know of?” Nik demanded. 

“Everything I do!” Kim snapped her fingers. They took the stage, and sang together. They made it to the final round. Kim took a breath and drank some water. Nik sat next to her, looking over the list again. 

“What category could be last?” Nik muttered. 

 

~ 

“I don’t think they even know we're here,” Sam mentioned to Dean as he watched the girls go over the remaining songs in their book. 

“I would check, but I don't want to get hurt,” Dean laughed, taking a drink of his beer. They watched Kim and Nik flip the pages, their faces full of concentration. The announcer came back on stage and everyone got quiet. 

“Our final category: classic rock,” he called out. Cheers filled the auditorium and the girls smiled. The other team went first and Sam winced as they butchered “More Than a Feeling.” Kim and Nik went up to take their turn. The music started and Sam watched as they sang the most beautiful version of “Carry On My Wayward Son" that he had ever heard. 

“I'm going to marry her,” Sam said to his brother as he watched Kim. 

“Yeah,” he heard Dean agree, but when Sam looked at his brother, Dean's eyes were glued to Nik. 

 

~ 

 

“And the champions keep their title!” Kim yelled as we entered the hall carrying our trophy. 

“I knew we would. No one beats our team,” I agreed. We were finally on our way to bed after our well earned victory. The boys had looked a little shell shocked when we sat back down after that last performance, but as soon as the winner was announced the party had started. It was now almost two am, and we were just now leaving. We made it to our rooms and I sighed happily as I went to change clothes. I looked over to see Dean watching me. 

“What?” I asked, looking down to see if anything looked weird. 

“You were pretty awesome out there. I'm glad I got to see it,” he waited for me to climb into bed and joined me, “Tomorrow is the last day right?” 

“Yep, one more signing, one more Q&A, then the final party. After that life goes back to normal. Or whatever counts as normal for us,” I laid my head on his shoulder as he pulled me close. 

“I think I like this new normal,” I heard him say as I drifted off to sleep.


	27. Is it real?

The next morning, I went next door to check on Kim. She hadn’t answered my texts yet. As soon as Sam opened the door, I could hear why. Kim was very noisily being sick in the bathroom. Sam looked worried, and I walked inside. 

“She won't let me in,” he said. 

“She's probably just embarrassed,” I knocked on the door. 

“Go away, Sam!” came Kim's voice. 

“It's me. Sam went to talk to Dean,” I motioned for him to leave. He hesitated but eventually headed out of the room. Kim opened the bathroom door and I frowned. She looked so miserable. 

“I don’t think the baby likes karaoke,” she groaned as she headed back to the bed. 

“Alright, you obviously can't do the con right now. I'm going to send Sam back in to sit with you, Dean and I can handle most of it. If I need you for sales you can do it from your laptop,” I got her a damp cloth and laid it on her head. It reminded me of when she was younger and I’d help Mom take care of her. 

“No, take Sam with you. He can’t see me like this,” Kim argued. 

“Honey, you have a few more months of weird things happening. He's going to have to be around it at some point,” I smiled at her and headed to my room. Sam stood as soon as I walked in. 

“I would suggest taking some ice and crackers with you when you go back in,” I told him, “Can you sit with her while Dean and I wrap up the con?” 

“Of course,” he left quickly. 

“Just us today!” I smiled at Dean. He smiled back and we quickly got ready to head out. The signing was first, everyone was asking about Kim. We just told them she was feeling under the weather. Near the end of the signing, Cindy hurried up to my booth. She looked worried and had a piece of paper in her hand. I signed the last few autographs and Dean put up the rope line. We followed Cindy back behind the curtain and she handed me the paper, “This was dropped at the front desk for you.” 

“I found you. I know which room you booked. I know who’s with you. Those bodyguards won’t keep you from me,” the letter in my hand read. 

“It looks like the stalker is at the con,” Cindy admitted. 

“Oh yeah, I see,” I blinked and handed the letter to Dean. How did a stalker that didn’t really exist show up suddenly? 

“We can shut down your Q&A later,” Cindy offered. 

“What? No, I can take care of myself,” I caught myself and pointed to Dean, “I mean, that’s what he’s here for.” 

“Is he supposed to be back here?” Dean nodded to a man in sunglasses and cowboy hat that had appeared at the opposite end of the walkway. The man smiled, tipped his hat as he left the way he came. 

“Oh goodness was that him?” Cindy's hand went to her heart. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. Thank you Cindy. We'll be careful,” we headed to the area that served lunch. 

“Do you think that was Stone?” I asked Dean quietly as we sat to eat. 

“Who else could it have been? Kim made up the stalker and then suddenly he's there. I have my angel blade, but we should still be cautious,” he pulled out his phone but I put my hand over his. 

“Don’t tell Sam. The last thing I need is Kim worried,” I asked. Dean nodded and put his phone away. We ate quickly, keeping an eye out for weirdos in cowboy hats. We left and started in the direction of the stage for the Q&A. When we got there someone called my name. My real name. There was a small room to my left. It looked like storage for the auditorium. There he was, the woman from that night at the carnival standing next to him. He removed his hat and sunglasses. A friendly appearing smile hovered on his face. Hazel eyes that matched mine stared right at me. 

“Stone, I presume?” I saw Dean reach into his coat for his blade. 

“Very astute,” Stone's eyes turned black as he looked at Dean, then back to hazel when he looked back at me. 

“No need for the special effects. What are you doing here?” I demanded. 

“Did you get mine and Leslie's gifts?” he pretended to be wounded. 

“Ed and Jen… that was you?” I guessed. 

“Well technically it was Leslie, but I thought it was very brotherly of me to have her take out your enemies,” he laughed. 

“They were innocent people,” Dean growled. 

“I didn't ask your opinion,” Stone answered. 

“You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?” I interrupted. 

“To offer you a truce. You and your sister come with me, I'll let you go when what I need you for is completed. I'll stop killing your colleagues and you'll never hear from me again,” Stone smiled again. Dean lashed out with the angel blade, but it went right through Stone. 

“You didn’t think I was really that close did you? This is a spell,” Stone explained. 

“Yeah, but that means you're near by. Rowena taught me that one,” Dean looked towards the other side of the stage. 

“He's so concerned for you,” Leslie noticed, “I figured he'd have ran the minute his angel pet explained things to him. Interesting.” 

“Explained what?” I asked before I could think better of it. 

“You've been unbound, and you're untrained. You're leaking emotions all over the place. If those feelings are strong enough, they can imprint upon others. Making them feel what you feel,” Leslie smiled at Dean, “You only want her, because she wanted you first. It's all fake.” 

“Why would I listen to you?” Dean demanded. 

“You don’t have to, it's your life not mine,” she shrugged. 

Stone held up a hand, “Enough. Do we have a deal, sister? Come peacefully and everyone lives happily ever after. Deny me, and… well… it's better for everyone if you don't.” 

“No thanks, whatever you have planned doesn't give me that warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach that makes me want to agree,” I replied. 

The announcement came on for the Q&A and Stone bowed, “Suit yourself. I'll be seeing you soon.” He and Leslie disappeared. I turned to Dean, and he was staring at the spot they’d just been. 

“Dean?” I asked. He looked at me and I saw doubt in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” he answered quickly, “I'm fine. He has to be close right?” 

“She was lying, you know that?” I turned my head as last call was made for the Q&A. 

“Yeah, of course,” but his words lacked conviction. 

“Just don't go looking for him until I'm done. We will figure it out together,” I tried again. Dean nodded and I rushed up on stage. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. 

 

~ 

 

Dean watched Nik run up to the stage as she was announced. Demons lied, it was one of their main personality traits. So why couldn't shake the feeling that this one wasn't? It made everything seem a little more clear to him. The fact that she was constantly on his mind, that he wanted to be near her much more than was normal. He watched her smile as she answered a question for a fan, and his chest felt tight. He needed answers. He pulled out his phone and dialed Cas. 

“Hello, Dean,” the angel answered immediately. 

“Cas, is it possible for Nik to change the emotions of others?” he had to get straight to the point. 

“Her unique situation could make it possible for her to enhance certain…” Cas began. 

“Yes or no, Cas?” Dean asked. 

“Simply put, yes. But Dean,” Cas tried again. 

“Thanks,” Dean hung up and looked up at Nik again. It felt like his heart would stop. It had all been a damn spell. He'd been right that night in the bunker. He turned off his phone and headed for the door. He just needed space from her, then maybe he could think straight.


	28. Get ready to fight

I looked over as the Q&A ended, thinking I’d see Dean behind the curtain. He wasn’t there and my heart began to pound. I smiled at the group and hurried back to the entrance where we had seen Stone. He wasn't there either. The area was too big for me to look in the normal way. I opened myself up to the elements but the amount of people in the room overwhelmed me as the air rushed to share everything. I had to close off my connection. I did the only other thing I could think to do. I called my sister. 

 

 

~ 

Kim sat up in bed as she listened to Nik, “What? Dean just left?” she looked over to Sam and his face showed his concern. He picked up his phone and called his brother. He shook his head when Dean didn't answer. Kim stood and began getting dressed, “No. Don't go anywhere. I'm on my way. Of course I'm fine, I'm feeling much better. See you in five minutes.” 

She and Sam headed down into the auditorium but there were still a lot of people standing around waiting for the next session. Kim called Nik back, “Hey, I don’t see you out here.” 

“I'm back stage, hold on,” she came to the side and waved to Kim, “There's a fan who’s mom is ill and couldn't make the con. Cindy is bringing the daughter around so I can record a message for her.” 

“Okay, we’ll get through the crowd and meet you there,” Kim hung up and watched Nik turn to meet the girl. Sam was politely asking people to let them through. They started recording and Nik smiled at the camera, saying something that made the girl laugh. There was another person there, Kim’s vision focused on her. 

“Sam!” she said in a panicked voice, “It's the woman from the carnival!” Sam began shoving people much less politely and Kim screamed Nik's name, but the room was too loud. Kim watched in horror as the woman materialized a sword out of thin air. Sam was almost through to the other side. Kim estimated the distance. They were going to be too late. 

The demon shoved the sword through Nik's back and twisted. Nik's hands went up to the blade now sticking out through her chest. Nik looked over at Kim, finding her gaze over the crowd. Kim began to cry as she watched her sister cough up blood. The woman put her hand on Nik's shoulder, winked at Kim, and they both disappeared. Sam caught Kim as she stumbled. He sat her in one of the seats on the stage and went to the area Nik had just been in. They had Nik, that bastard Stone had her sister. Sam was talking to the terrified girl that had been filming. He took her phone, pressed some buttons and then gave it back. He talked quietly to her and then came to collect Kim. 

They walked out into the hallway and Sam called Cas, “Cas, Dean is gone and Stone has Nik. I need you to find Dean and get us all back to 

the bunker immediately.” He hung up the phone and seconds later Cas was there. He took them both by the arms and suddenly they were at the front door outside of the bunker. Kim stared at Sam in shock and he pulled her close. 

 

~ 

 

Dean slammed the shot glass down and tossed some cash on the bar. He was an idiot and he needed to get back to the con. No, he needed to get back to Nik. He would talk to Cas and figure out a way to block the extra emotions, but he needed to be there with her. There was no way his feelings weren't real. He went to unlock Baby when Cas appeared beside him. Without a word, Cas grabbed him by the shoulder and suddenly they were at the bunker. 

“What the hell, Cas? You left Baby at that damn bar!” Dean cursed. 

Kim snapped out of her shock, “Your car? That’s what you're worried about? You left my sister to die and you’re worried about your fucking car?” the last words were screamed as she flung herself at him. She landed a couple of solid hits to Dean’s face and chest before Sam was able to pull her away. 

Dean’s face was pale, “What are you saying?” 

“Here, there was a video. I sent it to myself before I deleted it from the girl's phone,” he handed his phone to Dean and took Kim into his arms. She began to sob, clutching Sam close. Dean sank against the front door, watching as Leslie stabbed Nik. The phone slid from his numb fingers. He'd left her there unprotected. He had known Stone was close by. He had heard him threaten Nik. “Is she…?” he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. 

He saw Cas pick up the phone. “This would not have killed her,” he announced, “She'll heal from this quickly.” 

“Then we have to get to her,” Kim demanded. Dean turned and opened the door to the bunker. He headed straight for the armory. Sam and Kim followed closely. 

“Why did you leave?” Sam asked. 

“I listened to that bitch. She told me the only reason I had feelings for Nik was because she was imprinting on me. When Cas confirmed it was true I lost it a little. I thought if I could just get away I could think straight! I was getting into Baby to get back to Nik when Cas grabbed me,” he grabbed a bag and started loading it with weapons. 

“That’s not true,” Cas interrupted. 

Dean stopped moving, “What?” 

“When you called, I was trying to explain,” Cas looked a little exasperated, “Nik's power cannot generate new emotions. It only heightens feelings that already existed. You feel them a little more strongly, but the emotion itself is yours.” 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean turned and threw the knife he’d been holding. It embedded itself in the wall and shook from the force. 

“You were going back?” Kim asked quietly. 

Dean nodded, “I had a feeling it was going to be something like that. I should have never fucking left.” 

“Alright,” Sam said, “Kim, you stay here, work on a tracking spell. Dean, Cas, and I will get ready to head out. We'll let you know when we get there.” 

“I'm not staying,” Kim began to pack her own bag. 

“Cas, can you get Baby?” Dean tossed him the keys and Cas left to teleport the Impala home. He looked at Sam, “You wouldn't stay if it was me.” 

“Yeah, well I wouldn't have been pregnant in that scenario,” Sam sighed. 

“I have a protection charm,” she held up the necklace she'd been wearing lately. 

“Kim, we can handle this. You need to stay,” Sam argued. 

“Try and make me,” she pushed past him and walked to her bedroom. They'd left the jeep here and taken the Impala. Kim grabbed her keys and headed for the garage. She'd get a bit away and do the tracking spell. The Winchester men were getting on her nerves. She left the garage, not looking in the rearview as Sam ran after her, screaming her name.


	29. In Captivity

I fell to my knees after the teleport. My legs weren’t able to hold my weight at that moment. I watched as Stone brought over a bowl and collected the blood dripping off of the sword. I clenched my teeth against a scream as Leslie twisted the sword, causing another rush of blood. 

“Hurts, right? You'll survive it, but it's going to be a bitch the entire time you're healing,” Stone spoke as if this were a normal conversation. 

“I've had worse,” I managed to cough out. 

“Cute,” he muttered. He seemed satisfied with amount of blood he collected from me. “It’s these bodies we have. It’s not a meat suit like Leslie’s, or even a vessel like that trench coat wearing imbecile your boyfriend hangs out with. They’re just our bodies. So when we get stabbed or shot we feel it.” He placed the bowl on a table on the other side of the room. He nodded to Leslie and she yanked the sword out of my body. I was unable to stop myself from groaning as I slumped a little more. However, I could already feel my body healing the damage. Another minute, maybe two, and I could fight my way out. That was pretty awesome. I stayed slumped to keep up appearances, and didn’t see Stone approach. He kicked me in the chest and I collapsed on my back. I felt him put shackles on my wrists and the pain of the wound increased. 

“Magic shackles, they keep you from being able to use your powers. You’ll still heal, but it’ll take longer, hurt worse, et cetera et cetera,” he waved his hands in the air. “Go collect the other one. She’s probably already on her way here,” he ordered Leslie. 

“No!” I tried to stand, but Leslie was already gone and I didn’t have a lot of strength. I collapsed back on the ground, looking up at Stone, “Why?” 

“Oh, is it monologue time already?” He pulled up a chair, “Our mother bound my abilities too. She did it with a twist, though. She knew my demon side would give a strong pull on my morals, and added that only a witch from the bloodline that had originally worshipped dear old Dad could break it using the blood of my sibling. When my Dad found out he killed her. You were stashed away by then. The witches had gone into hiding as well and Dad was sniffing them out. That’s how Kim’s parents died. They were running from him and looking for you. They had helped her with the bond. My mother told them you could keep them safe if they could find someone to awaken your abilities. They didn’t make it to you, poor folks. Pure coincidence that you ended up in the same orphanage. If they’d died a few hours earlier, Kim would have grown up in a completely different part of the state. Anyways, Dad took me to Puerto Rico to try and find another witch of the blood line. There were hunters there waiting. They killed him, and one of my Dad’s lackeys ran with me. I was raised in Hell, with those stories floating around in my head. They had some vague plan of breaking the bonds when I got older, but I think the higher ups were scared I'd be too strong. Then I met Leslie. She agreed that the bonds needed to be broken immediately and we did our research. Slowly we recruited others. One witch was able to awaken some of my demon traits. I'm stronger than the humans, but still very killable. So we found out where you were living. She hired a group of vamps to bring you both to us. You weren’t home that night, though. So they took your adoptive parents as a consolation prize. After that you didn't stay in one location for long. We got tired of looking, so I let something slip to one of Garth's hunters. You were there for the rest.” 

I laughed, gasping in pain at the movement, “Well, that was incredibly boring. And pointless because Kim won't do the spell. Plus, the Winchesters are more than likely on their way to kill you. Enjoy what's left of your life.” 

Stone stood, and I noticed the rope hanging on the chair. He yanked me to my feet and sat me down roughly, “They won’t find you in time. Besides, last Leslie saw, Dean was drowning his sorrows at a dive bar. I doubt he even knows you're gone.” He wrapped the rope around me, pulling tight. 

“Guess breathing isn’t a concern,” I mentioned to him. He pulled a knife out of a sheath on his back and slammed the hilt into the left side of my head. I hissed at the pain. 

“The only reason you're alive is because Kim won’t do the spell if I've already killed you. All I needed from you was your blood. Keep talking, and you'll wish that wasn’t the case,” he smiled grimly. 

“Then we are in for a bad time because I have a condition that makes me spit out smart remarks and lame TV trivia at any given point,” I blinked as blood ran into my eye from the wound the knife had caused. Stone hit me with a right hook. My vision started to swim a little. The blood loss, head trauma and the disappointment of learning Dean really did leave had me hanging my head. 

“No snarky comment?” he demanded. 

“You hit like a bitch,” I offered without raising my head and then braced myself for the next blow.


	30. Sister to the Rescue

Kim pulled into a parking lot for a public park. She realized she'd been a little hasty in her departure. She felt bad for the way she had spoken to Sam. She picked up her phone and dialed him. A sense of relief filled her when he answered immediately. 

“Where are you?” he asked. Kim could hear the Impala roaring in the background. 

“Some park? Sam, I'm going to do a binding spell. I'm going to link us so you'll know where I am no matter what. Is that okay?” 

“Of course! Just wait there,” Sam begged. 

“Hold on. I'm going to do the spell,” she put the phone on speaker and began the chant. As an after thought, she hid the baby’s essence in the spell. If anyone looked, all they’d sense was Sam. She completed the spell and picked up the phone, “Did it work?” 

“Yes, Dean turn here,” she heard Sam say. She looked out at the park and her heart stuttered. The bitch that had stabbed her sister was standing there. 

“Sam, I have to go. Remember, the bond means you can find me,” Kim hung up on his protests. She opened the car door and stepped out. 

“Hello, witch,” the woman greeted. 

“Hello, demon,” Kim returned. 

“I have your sister. I can take you to her.” 

“How nice of you. What's the catch?” Kim asked. She could feel Sam getting close through the bond. 

“No catch, we need you there. I'll take you. One way or another,” there was a threat in her voice. Kim took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Alright, let's go,” she walked forward and took the hand of the demon just as the Impala screeched into the lot. Kim blinked and she was in a room, four stone walls and a heavy metal door held little chance of an easy escape. 

“She came willingly,” the demon beside her announced to a man standing in the middle of the room. Nik was tied to a chair and Kim's voice caught in her throat at the sight of her sister. She ran over and knelt down in front of the chair. 

“Ah, Kim. Tell me you didn't,” Nik sounded sad and tired. 

“Always and Forever, remember?” Kim lifted Nik's head to look at the wound. 

“This isn't The Originals. We're in trouble here,” Nik glared at her sister from her one open eye. The other was swelled shut. 

“We've been in trouble before,” Kim stood and looked at who she presumed was Stone. “What do you want?” 

“I just need you to do one little spell,” he shrugged, “Then you'll both be free to go.” 

“And if I don't?” 

Stone sighed, “Typical hero question. You must know the answer. Leslie will torture and kill your sister. Slowly. While you watch.” Leslie walked up and Stone handed her the knife. Leslie held up a hand and suddenly Kim couldn't move. Kim tried to fight with her magic, but the binding spell and being sick had weakened her. She watched in horror as Leslie slowly pushed the knife into Nik's bicep. 

“You mother fucker!” Nik yelled, fighting against the rope. Leslie pulled the knife out and Nik took a deep breath. Nik looked at Stone, “I'm going to butcher you and your psycho girlfriend. Let my sister go and untie me, you shit eating coward.” 

“Tough words from someone who couldn’t stand a few moments ago,” Stone looked over to Kim and raised an eyebrow, “Well?” 

“I'll do it,” she said from between clenched teeth. 

Stone clapped his hands, “Excellent!” Kim took a breath as she felt Leslie release her. Stone took her arm and led her to the table. It was covered with ingredients, “Let's get started.” 

 

 

~ 

 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean yelled as Kim disappeared. Sam got out, grabbed the keys for the jeep and Kim's bag. He ran back to the car and pulled the other bags of weapons out. 

“What are you doing?” Dean asked him. 

“I can feel where she is. Cas, can you access that and get us there?” Sam asked. 

“Yes, that seems an appropriate solution,” Castiel agreed. Dean tossed his own bag over his shoulder and waited expectantly. Cas put a hand on each of them and they were teleported to the outside of a cabin. 

“It's warded. Against me, specifically. They have done their own research. I can’t go any further until you find the wards,” Cas told them. The boys nodded and searched around the cabin for any surprises. They entered the cabin, and were immediately attacked by demons. 

 

~ 

 

“Sounds like the Winchesters are here! The big one gets particularly ornery when Kim is involved,” Stone heard Nik say to Leslie as the sounds of fighting made their way down. 

“Shut up,” Leslie hissed. He turned to see Leslie slash down Nik's unhurt arm with the knife. 

Nik yelled in pain but then laughed at the look on Leslie's face, “Aw, you're afraid. Better run now, the angel is probably with them. He’s a no nonsense kind of guy.” Leslie screamed in frustration and backhanded Nik. The chair tipped and Stone heard Nik's head crack as it hit the ground. He knelt to check, unconscious but alive. He checked Kim's progress on the spell. She was almost done, her eyes closed in a trance. 

“Stop them,” he commanded Leslie. The last thing he needed was that blasted angel and the Winchesters messing things up. She nodded and disappeared. Kim's voice trailed off and he realized she was almost done. Her eyes opened and she took a blade off of the table, she held out her hand and he placed his hand in hers. Stone clenched his teeth as she pulled the blade across his palm. She added the blood to Nik's and he gasped as power flooded through him. He was bound no more.


	31. Finishing Touches

Dean tossed a demon out the door of the cabin. Cas caught him and the demon screeched as Cas smote him. Sam stabbed another with an angel blade and moved into the next room. He found the warding against Castiel and kicked a hole in the wall, breaking the seal. Cas ran in at the same time Leslie appeared. Leslie took one look at the angel and teleported away. They dealt quickly with the few remaining demons and then checked the rooms. Everything was empty. 

“Something is happening below us,” Cas announced as his eyes flashed blue. 

“Basement,” Dean answered. They moved furniture and rugs until they found the hidden door. They ran down the stairs, listening as Leslie warned Stone, “They brought the angel! The spell is done, we need to go!” 

“Return to hell, bring reinforcements. We'll get rid of these pests once and for all,” Stone ordered. Leslie turned as the door open. She wasted no time in disappearing. Cas engaged Stone, knocking him back away from Kim. Sam immediately ran to Kim as she slipped to the ground, exhaustion showing in her face. Dean looked frantically around the room. Nik lay overturned, tied to a chair and not moving. He was at her side in an instant. He cut the ropes and pulled her to him as she slid out of the chair. 

“Wake up, Princess. Please,” he begged as he checked her wounds. 

“Dean!” Cas shouted as he tossed Stone into a wall, “Take off the shackles, I can help her heal.” Stone tackled Castiel around the waist. Dean fought with the lock on the shackles. Sam helped Kim get over to him. She touched the restraints and muttered something. They came loose and Dean threw them across the room. 

Nik's eyes opened quickly, glowing green again, “Winchester.” 

Dean winced, “You don’t sound happy to see me.” Nik's eyes widened and there was a flash of greenish light. Her wounds were healed. “What just happened?” Dean asked as she stood. 

“Cas was in my head. Showed me how to heal. You and I have some words to exchange,” she told him. Leslie appeared then with ten demons behind her. “But later,” Nik amended as she took in the scene. Sam jumped the nearest demon as Dean stood and stopped one that was headed towards them. Dean shoved his angel blade into the stomach of the demon he was fighting. Sam took out another. Nik took a second to help Kim get behind the table and then grabbed Stone from where he was struggling with Castiel. 

“Help the others!” She told the angel as she slugged her brother across the face. Dean watched in admiration as Stone stumbled back. That asshole didn't stand a chance. 

 

~ 

 

The satisfaction I felt hitting Stone in the face could not be described. He stumbled back and wiped some blood from his lip. He charged forward and grabbed my arms. I felt a surge and we were standing in the middle of a garden. Vines ran up my legs, the thorns digging into flesh. I shoved Stone back with a heavy blast of air and took control of the vines. They wilted and I stepped back as he stood again. He manifested a ball of fire and I tossed up a wall of water. Steam filled the area and I used more wind to get a clear look at Stone. 

“We could do this all day,” he laughed. 

“Or you could just let me kill you and get it over with,” I shrugged. 

“I don't need you anymore! Take your sister and the walking piles of flannel and go! I just want to live in peace,” Stone yelled. 

“And yet, somehow, I don't believe you. You've already proven yourself a dick by killing people at the convention. Now that you have your powers, what’s to stop you from more? Not to mention your girlfriend is fucking crazy. And a demon,” I stepped to the side as he circled me. This was going to go on for hours if I didn't find a way to end it. 

 

 

~ 

 

 

The fighting in the cell slowed as everyone realized Nik and Stone were gone. Leslie looked at what was left of her goons, “The garden!” She and the others disappeared seconds later. 

“Cas!” Dean yelled. They stood together and Cas teleported them to the outside of the house, “This way, I sense them.” Sam lifted Kim and they followed Castiel quickly. Leslie and the other demons stood in a semi-circle around Nik and Stone. Nik looked over to them. 

“Why isn't anyone moving?” Kim asked. She had Sam let her down, she swayed but stood firmly. Her eyes were on Leslie. 

“Should we try to help?” Sam demanded. 

Dean watched Stone say something, but he couldn't hear. He took a step forward but Nik shook her head. She didn't want them over there. “We wait,” he gave her a short nod. 

 

~ 

 

 

I saw Leslie and the other demons appear and fear shot through my body. Where were the others? Leslie made to charge but Stone held up a hand, “No! We'll finish this ourselves.” I nodded to him and he grimaced, “I suppose your friends are still alive.” 

I looked over and saw them running towards us. Sam had Kim in his arms, but they stopped when they realized no one was fighting. Dean took a step forward and I shook my head at him. He hesitated, but I saw him nod. I looked back to my brother. 

“Winner takes all scenario?” I asked. 

“Yeah, but the thing is,” Stone lifted a hand and the very ground began to shake, “I was raised knowing what I am. I know how to utilize my powers. You're a toddler compared to me.” The ground behind him began to crack. An eerie black-tinged fire rose from the crack and he began to collect it in his palms. I focused my attention on extinguishing the fire, but nothing happened. 

“It's Hellfire. You have no control over it,” his eyes were crazed as he stared into the flames. I turned my efforts to closing the crack behind him. It moved too slowly. I was fighting the earth and his hold on it. I could feel my strength fading. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leslie charge for me. She was thrown back and I looked at Kim. Sam held her up and her hands were focused on Leslie. She couldn't keep that up for long. Stone had a nice fire wall heading straight for me. I released my hold on the earth and conjured more water. It adhered to the wall but did not stop it's advance. Kim was slumping further and I knew we were quickly losing. 

Then I remembered how Castiel had shown me the healing process. Could I do that with Kim but with energy? Something wiggled in my memory. The vampire telling us that we could become something together. Something powerful. I focused half of my attention on Kim. I pulled energy from the earth and split it between she and I. A few long seconds and she shook off Sam's arms. Kim stood straight and a smile filled her face. Leslie screamed in pain as Kim advanced on her. Kim’s eyes began to glow blue. I turned back to Stone and increased the power behind what was quickly becoming a tsunami. I felt my legs go weak, but suddenly I was being supported. 

“I'm here, Princess. Let's gank this son of a bitch,” Dean said in my ear.


	32. A Final Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this last chapter 6 times and I still hate it.... so enjoy!

Leslie couldn't move. This was impossible. The woman walking towards her was only a witch. There was no way she could have enough power to do what she was doing. Leslie felt Clint die through the bond they'd made many years ago. She knew death was coming for her as well. How had everything gone so wrong? Kim's hands touched Leslie's face. At first the feeling was an unbearable agony, she may have screamed. Then feelings she hadn't felt in centuries bombarded her. Guilt, nervousness, unrelenting sadness. Tears streamed down her face and then blackness. Leslie needed to thank Kim. For the first time in hundreds of years she felt peace. The arms of darkness greeted her as she fell from this existence. 

 

~ 

Dean placed an angel blade in my hand and I realized what I had to do. I focused all of my attention on making a hole in the middle of his wall of fire. Slowly the water pushed through. I could see Clint on the other side. His face was smug, so assured of his victory. I tossed the blade through the hole and used a gust of wind to push it home. The look of utter shock on Stone's face as the blade sunk into his chest was priceless. The fire flickered out and there was a blast of light as he fell dead. I heard a scream and looked over. Kim had both hands on Leslie's face and the were both glowing blue. After a blinding flash Leslie fell to the ground, her eyes burned out of her head. Castiel has his hand on another demon's head and he suffered a similar fate. The others disappeared quickly. I sank back into Dean's arms and he lifted me. Cas came over and laid his hand on my head. 

“She's fine. Just exhausted,” he turned to Kim who looked spry and refreshed. 

“She sucked out my energy,” I accused. 

“You gave it willingly. Along with some knowledge I didn't know you had. I can fucking smite demons now!” 

“Language,” I said as I closed my eyes, “Can we go home?” I heard Dean curse and I opened my eyes. We were at the bunker. 

“Oops,” I whispered. 

“I hate traveling that way!” he complained. Castiel appeared a moment later with Sam and Kim. He mentioned he was going to clean up the battlefield and left again. Dean shook his head and took me to the bathroom. Gently he pulled off my bloodstained clothing and helped me to shower. He wrapped me in a robe. We walked slowly to bedroom and he handed me one of his shirts. I slid it on and crawled into the bed. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

 

 

~ 

 

Castiel appeared in the battlefield and narrowed his eyes. There was no evidence a battle had taken place here. The bodies had already been removed and the earth was clean. He walked into the cabin. All traces of the fight were gone, even the basement had been cleared. He exited the home and stopped in shock. 

“Hello, Castiel,” the man in the yard smiled, “We need to talk.” 

 

 

~ 

 

“So what now?” Sam asked Dean as he met them in library. 

“We rest. We've earned it,” Kim headed to the shower. She turned when she saw Cas come back. She headed him off before he could go to Sam and Dean. 

“Hey, Cas. Can I ask you a question?” Kim asked him hesitantly. 

“Yes, of course,” he looked her. 

“When I touched Leslie, I felt something. I think… I think something changed with the baby,” she said in a worried tone. 

Castiel looked surprised for a moment but his face quickly went blank, “Are you sure?” 

“Could you just check for me? You know, use some Angel Mojo?” she pleaded. He placed his hand on her stomach and was quiet for a moment. 

“He's fine,” Cas smiled at her. 

“It's a boy?” Kim squealed. She hugged Castiel impulsively and headed off to the shower. Castiel watched her leave. Despite the trouble in his heart he could not tell her the truth. None of them could ever know what the child was capable of. 

 

 

~ 

 

I woke up alone. The room was dark but the sheets smelled like Dean. I stretched and sat up slowly. If I tried, I could probably convince myself this had all been a dream. I grabbed Dean's robe and headed out to the main room. Dean sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a copy of my very first book. His attention was fully focused on it. 

“What are you doing?” I asked with a laugh. 

He looked up sheepishly, “I just wanted to learn a little more about you. Steamy stuff you have here.” I walked over and he held out his arms. I sank down into his lap and he pulled me close. 

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly. 

“You don't have to apologize,” I answered as I laid my head on his shoulder. 

“I do. If I'd been there, none of this would have happened. I could have done something. I could have…” he stopped talking, mostly because I had placed a hand over his mouth. I lifted up to look him in the eyes. 

“If you had been there, you would have stopped Leslie from taking me. But then they would have killed more people. Hell they could've burned down the hotel, I don't know. They would have continued hurting people to get to us. The only thing you did was bring the inevitable closer. We had to take them down, better now than later. Although I can't help but shake the feeling that this isn't finished,” I frowned. 

“It was a little quick,” Dean agreed when I finally moved my hand from his mouth. 

“Besides, you were coming back for me,” I settled back down into his arms. 

“How did you know that?” he asked. 

“What do you mean? You told me,” I looked back at him. 

“No. I told Kim,” he said slowly. Before I could reply, Sam and Kim came into the room. Castiel followed close behind. “He has something he wants to tell us,” Kim shrugged as they sat at the table. 

“The connection between you that took place during the battle is very dangerous. The link between you is still open. You can still harvest and share energy. For Nik, this is not a large problem. It would be very hard for you to drain her of energy completely. Though it can be done. Nik, you cannot pull energy from Kim. She is human and it will kill her. Especially while she’s with child,” Castiel explained. 

“Wait… the energy sharing thing made a link between us?” Kim asked. 

“Yes, with practice you'll be able to hear each other's thoughts, sense emotions, even feel each other's pain. Once Nik has been properly trained on the energy transfer, you will be both be quite powerful. Nigh unstoppable,” Castiel nodded. 

“Hear each other's thoughts? Even ones that happened before the connection?” I asked. 

“Yes, it's possible,” the angel answered. 

“Well, damn. How soon can we begin practicing? Can we shut it off?” Kim asked. 

“You can mute it.” 

“Good,” I offered, “Cause otherwise that could make certain things awkward.” 

“We can practice small things currently, but nothing major until after the birth of the baby,” Cas advised. 

“So… that's it?” I asked, “Stone is vanquished. Leslie smitten. And we're super heroes? End of story?” 

“Sounds like a happy ending to me,” Kim answered. I exchanged worried looks with Dean, but nothing could be done about it now. We spent the rest of the night celebrating, and enjoying our time with our loved ones. 

 

~7 months later~ 

 

“Guys!” Kim waddled into the main room where the rest of us were sitting. Her stomach had been steadily growing and her mobility had been declining. She'd sat out of quite a few hunts these last few months and she was becoming increasingly frustrated. So we had gotten used to her shouting but this sounded different. 

“What's wrong?” Sam stood and put down his book. 

“It's time. Baby is on the way,” Kim said. Her face scrunched in pain and she made a strangled sound, “Soon, he's coming soon.” Sam and I were at her side in a second. Dean grabbed the emergency bag that had been packed and waiting the last few weeks. We loaded Kim into the back of the jeep, Sam crawling in next to her. I tossed the keys to Dean and we took off for the hospital. They took her back immediately and Sam went back with her. I took the time to give the nurses our insurance information. Dean paced in the waiting room. I watched him as I waited for my documents to be handed back to me. 

There was something I desperately needed to tell him but we were all very high on emotion right now. Was it the right time? The clerk at the front desk handed me my things and directed us the room they had my sister in. She was hooked up to a few machines and her doctor was chipper. She told us it would be an easy birth and there would be nothing to worry about. We agreed Sam should be in the room when the baby was born, so Dean and I headed out into the adjoining seating room. Hours went by and I winced as a particularly bad scream made it's way out to us. I stood and paced but then had one of my fantastically bad ideas. I opened the bond as Cas had shown us and locked onto her pain. 

“Holy shit,” I gasped as I went down to one knee. I closed the link immediately and Dean was at my side in an instant. 

“What happened?” he demanded as he put his arms around me. Before I could answer the door opened and we the cries of a baby. 

“He's here! The baby is here! He and Kim are fine,” the door closed behind him and I saw his face. 

“What's wrong?” I asked him as Dean helped me stand. 

“I… I thought I saw his eyes glow. Blue, like Castiel’s. But I was seeing things I'm sure. I've got to get back in there,” he turned and went back into the room. 

“You want to explain what just happened?” Dean asked. 

“I wanted to see what she was feeling,” I shrugged. 

“Why the hell would you want to do that?” he demanded. 

“Because,” I smiled at the man that had become such a huge part of my life, “I'm pregnant.” 

 

 

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave comments or send messages!


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